The Irish Post InBusiness 2015

IN BUSINESS www.irishpost.co.uk

2015

ART OF A NATION

Ireland’s creative talent is back centre stage with the return of the Sotheby’s Irish Art Sale

The Comer Brothers

From Galway plasterers to global property giants

Community Connections The Irish in Britain in 2015

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EDITOR’S NOTE ‘Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking’

WB Yeats

From recognising an opportunity to striving to achieve a goal, the way in which the Irish in Britain have succeeded in their adopted country is something we can all be proud of.

And so, in what is the 150th year since the birth of Ireland’s great poet WB Yeats, his sagely words above apply as much today as ever to describe how the Irish have forged their path in Britain.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, we have become leaders of industry across the worlds of finance, construction, healthcare, sport, charity, education, design, the arts, entertainment and more.

From the boardrooms of the biggest companies to the family-founded firms that have become synonymous with success, Ireland’s brightest and best are breaking new ground, focusing on the future and delivering results at the highest levels.

As The Irish Post continues to marks its 45th anniversary in 2015, the pages of this year’s InBusiness magazine focus on celebrating our community’s tremendous achievements as we strike out towards a new year in search of new opportunities.

CHARITY PARTNER This year’s InBusiness magazine was officially launched in London on October 23 at the 2015 Irish Post Awards at the Park Lane Hilton. The annual Awards evening brings together over 600 Irish business and community leaders from across Britain. This year’s charity partner is Console, Ireland’s national suicide charity. Console, which has two London centres, provides free counselling and support services to those in crisis as well as those bereaved through suicide. Console can be reached at any time on 020 7821 8865 or to donate to the charity go to www.consolecounselling.co.uk

Siobhán Breatnach Editor, The Irish Post @SBreatnach

To order your weekly copy of The Irish Post or to sign up to our daily newsletter go to irishpost.co.uk

IN BUSINESS

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

www.irishpost.co.uk

2015

Mal Rogers, columnist and freelance journalist

ART OF A NATION

Ireland’s creative talent is back centre stage with the return of the Sotheby’s Irish Art Sale

Nemesha Balasundaram, Irish Post reporter

James Mulhall, Irish Post reporter

Susan Hayes Culleton, The Positive Economist

Find us on Facebook: Facebook.com/The IrishPost The Comer Brothers

From Galway plasterers to global property giants

Community Connections

Follow us on Twitter: @TheIrishPost Connect with us on LinkedIn: The Irish Post

The Irish in Britain in 2015

The cover art for this year’s InBusiness is a piece by Irish Austrian-Irish artist Gottfried Helnwein.

The Murmur of the Innocents 45 is a photorealistic oil and acrylic on canvas and one of 71 lots being auctioned by Sotheby’s of London this month as part of its Irish Art Sale. See page 38.

Picture courtesy of Sotheby’s

www.irishpost.co.uk

Printed by: Polestar UK Print Ltd, Chaucer Business Park, Launton Road, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 4QZ Published by: The Irish Post, 88 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4BY Additional research: Mal Rogers, Claire Corkery and Erika Sanger Design: Lawrence Forrest Advertising: Sarah Murphy, Katie Brown and Daniel Downer Telephone: 0044 20 8900 4195

The Irish Post – Celebrating 45 years as the Voice of the Irish in Britain in 2015

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COVER FEATURE 38

CONTENTS FEATURES

IN BUSINESS 2015

12 KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY How Brian and Luke Comer went from working as plasterers in Galway to building a multi-million pound global property empire 38 ART HOUSE As the Sotheby’s Irish Art Sale returns Nemesha Balasundaram discovers its hidden treasures 47 SOCIAL CLIMBERS James Mulhall looks at how the digital revolution has created an alternative career path for the next generation

19 THE AZ OF INFLUENTIAL IRISH IN BRITAIN 36 THE WHO’S WHO OF GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS

LIFE 8 SOUL SEARCH The Positive Economist Susan Hayes Culleton reveals how you can stay true to yourself and be successful

ART AUCTION: Elizabeth Magill’s Heartland is one of 71 lots in the Sotheby’s Irish Art Sale, estimated to be between £20,000-£25,000.

Born in Canada, Magill grew up in the North of Ireland but lives and works in London

FASHION&DESIGN 10 NINE TO FIVE How to style the ultimate home office 44 STYLE & SUBSTANCE Irish designers share their top picks for autumn

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END NOTE 50 OUT OF OFFICE Celebrating 50 years in TV and film award-winning actress Fionnula Flanagan opens up about her passions in life and what’s been one of her most 44 trying years to date 10 50

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Client satisfaction is the measure of our success and we aim to provide a first-class service, at the right price and on time.

Address: Kylemore Services Limited Heron House 109 Wembley Hill Road Wembley, Middlesex HA9 8DA Contact: Michael Quinn or Eamon Lynam michaelq@kylemore.co.uk eamonl@kylemore.co.uk

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Soul search Want to remain true to yourself and be successful? The Positive Economist Susan Hayes has the questions you need to ask

I

N the audiences I speak to and mentor I often sense the same disconnect. They act on the assumption that who they are isn’t what the world wants to see. They feel they should be more like their competitors, or a larger company or like society expects them to be.

But it’s quite the contrary. Being true to yourself is the secret to finding that unique selling point that so many businesses and individuals are desperately seeking.

Being true to yourself isn’t just about deciding you don’t want to conform to expectations. It offers immense return on investment. It’s all about cultivating your unique qualities and offering your clients, co-workers, employees what nobody else can give them.

Whether you are setting up a business, have been in business for a while, or you’re an entrepreneurial employee, set aside some time for self-reflection and ask yourself these six searching questions.

Enjoy the incredible surge of energy and inspiration that is sure to follow.

Who is your true self?

Have you ever said ‘But isn’t everybody like that’?

That’s when you have found something within yourself that is so natural, it’s rooted in your DNA. I remember the morning a radio presenter called me ‘The Positive Economist’ when I was pointing out all of the opportunities in the teeth of the recession and my response was “isn’t everybody seeking those out?” Take a moment to reflect on your personality and your career. Refer to several

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episodes or projects at work: what worked well? Which projects do you remember with pride and fondness?

Which projects are you less happy about? List the achievements you are proud of. A picture will start to emerge.

What things give you more energy than they take?

If you like what you do, the work/life balance equation becomes much easier. Being true to yourself will help you avoid burnout, because you are aligned with yourself. Do things on your own terms: there is no prescribed protocol that you have to stick to. So tackle projects in the way that

feels most natural to you. If you’re a logical thinker like me, then tools and processes are key i.e. Trello, algorithms in spreadsheets, a categorised inbox. If you prefer open creativity, then use brain maps (SimpleMind+), whiteboards (Evernote) and Pinterest to get different perspectives.

When do you feel you’re in the zone?

Think back to a time when you felt in the zone, with laser focus. What task were you engaged with? Who was with you? What made this moment special?

What skills and abilities did you need to draw on?

For me, I get this feeling just before I stand in front of an audience to give them insights about the economy or empower business people with practical ways to improve their business with the raw honesty of my own experience.

Being true to yourself is the ultimate success strategy because it reduces friction.

What have you honestly always wanted to do or be?

If you had to write a life purpose or a mission statement for yourself, what would it be?

What qualities would you exemplify and what results would these qualities lead to? The first answer, the one you find yourself blurting out, is the most revealing: see what it tells you about yourself, and how it can be read in the wider context of your business. Use the GROW (Goals, Realities, Opportunities and What am I going to do about it) model to strategise how to move forward.

What’s the one thing you would like to improve about yourself?

You can phrase this any way you want, but if you take something that you don’t like about yourself, ask yourself if you can change? If you can’t (for example, your age), then how could you turn it into a positive? If you’re of a more vintage demographic, then you have wisdom, experience and efficiency.

If you’re starting out, you have enthusiasm, fresh ideas and are digitally savvy. If you can change, what small step could you take today? Could you get training, find a role model to learn about their journey or seek out an accountability partner?

Ask somebody who likes and knows you well what they think makes you special?

Asking somebody who has your best interests at heart can be eye-opening. Have you ever had the experience of reading the CV of a close friend and thinking this is not the person I know? When it comes to knowing ourselves, we are seldom the most lucid and unbiased observer. Ask your friends and co-workers to tell you stories of moments when you impressed them or good memories that they have with you – what was your role?

Susan Hayes Culleton CFA, is The Positive Economist and her TEDx talk is Five Key Ways to Define Yourself and Turbo Boost Your Career. For more business tips, true tales, podcasts and her latest articles follow her on Twitter @SusanHayes_

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Nine to five style the ultimate home office 2

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2. Delphine Desk and Chair £12,500 | www.nest-design.com 3. Cuckoo Clock €39.90 | www.jennywalshdesign.com 4. Rathbourne Beyond the Pale Wild Mint, Watercress & Thyme Luxury Candle £45 | Fenwicks, www.rathbornes1488.com 5. Orla Kiely Stem Print Notecards £16 | www.orlakiely.com 6. Solar Opposite Rug Designed by Andrew Ludick for Ceadogán €820 | www.ceadogan.ie

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MIDAS TOUCH: Hard work and an eye for an opportunity have helped Luke and Brian Comer to create a hugely successful international property company Picture: Richie Stokes

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Keeping it in the family

‘

The best thing to do in business is walk when everybody else is running and run when everybody is walking As founders of The Comer Group, Brian and Luke Comer have gone from plasterers to building a global property firm. MAL ROGERS discovers how a near-fatal car crash 20 years ago changed the Galway brothers’ destiny

T

HE Comer brothers, Luke and Brian, preside over an empire that stretches across three continents.

Their 500 employees worldwide look after a property portfolio consisting of luxury residential homes, office parks, retail parks, hotels and leisure facilities.

Not bad for a couple of Galway boys from a poor farming background in Glenamaddy.

The brothers’ first step in business was leaving school in their teens to take up plastering as a career.

Luke and Brian soon realised they were onto something.

Brian, 55, a good-natured, unassuming man, and still with a strong Galway accent, says with a smile: “Yeah, I reckon we were good enough plasterers.”

Not only good, but hard-working — and their graft soon built up a thriving business.

In 1984, the brothers decided to set their sights higher, and decamped to London.

“We lived in a flat in Kilburn. It was nearly all Irish then. There was every sort of craftsman and labourer, and from every part of Ireland,” Brian says. ➤

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➤ Pubs like the Old Bell and Biddy Mulligan’s were going full throttle, the Galtymore and National ballrooms were still in their prime; but the Comer boys were more interested in consolidating their plastering business.

Their reputation grew, and before long they’d landed major contract work on huge construction projects. The future was looking very bright for the two boys from Glenamaddy.

But then on November 20, 1992, fate took a hand.

“We were driving home from near Harrow when our Mercedes skidded on ice and off the road. We crashed into a tree, the car was a write-off, and I was left in a coma for 17 days. I was paralysed on one side for six months. It looked for a while as if I wouldn’t walk again.”

But slowly Brian recovered — although he knew his days on the building site were over.

The crash did crystallise one thing, however. “I think for both of us, we realised we needed to use our heads,” says Brian.

He remembers vividly that seminal time. “I mark the date of the crash every year, November 20. I remember it better than my birthday. It changed the way we thought about things.”

It was probably at this point that the chemistry

STAR TENANT: X Factor’s Cheryl is one of many famous faces to have lived in the Comer Group’s luxury London apartments, Princess Park Manor

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‘

We crashed into a tree, the car was a write-off, and I was left in a coma for 17 days. I was paralysed on one side for six months. It looked for a while as if I wouldn’t walk again between the two brothers came to the fore — Brian was good at personnel management, Luke was good at spotting deals. They also had the help of another Galway man who has been with them from almost the start — Tom Donnellan, who is still in charge of all building work.

Today Brian is Chairman of UK Operations, Luke is Chairman of European Operations.

With a new strategy in place, the brothers began buying up derelict sites in London and converting them into luxury apartments.

Brian remembers one particular high point.

“Friern Barnet Mental Hospital. We bought it, renovated, and made 374 apartments out of that,” he says.

Luxury apartments they remain, known as Princess Park Manor. A host of celebrities have regarded it as home, including Cheryl and Ashley Cole, One Direction and JLS to name a few.

The conversion from disused buildings to luxury homes became a blueprint that the brothers used many times over.

Soon the Comer Group was one of Britain’s largest and most successful property companies.

But that particular market, as many Irish entrepreneurs know to their cost, is notorious for its mercurial nature.

As Brian explained, it’s all about timing: “Just make sure you buy at the right time. If you do, you’ll make money. And if you do have a bad day, just pick yourself up and go back at it even harder.”

It’s the very essence of property speculation, but naturally it’s not nearly as easy as it sounds. You need to have an eye for an opportunity.

One such development came when the property market in Britain began overheating. The brothers spotted that Berlin was likely to burgeon, so they invested — and it paid off handsomely.

Their German property empire quickly expanded, with apartments, office buildings and leisure centres. International growth continued, with developments in a further two continents, Africa and America.

Like any company, however, the brothers have had their setbacks as well.

Some have been pretty spectacular. “At one stage, a few years back, we lost £30million on the stock market — just in a matter of minutes. We were trading in oil, the Dow Jones, what have you. And it all came crashing down. The whole lot.”

The company survived, however. “If anything,” says Brian, “it made us more determined to get back to where we were.”

They recovered well, and ensured the business was stronger than ever.

Today Brian lives on land that was once a golf course in Hertfordshire. It allows him to indulge in one of his passions — golf. His other is the GAA. He was a gifted player in his youth, winning a Galway County Minor in the mid-1970s and won a Connacht Minor Championship football medal.

Meanwhile Luke lives in Monte Carlo, commuting regularly to London, Berlin and Ireland.

TRIBESMEN: The Comer brothers remain proud of their west of Ireland roots

It sounds glitzy — your own private golf course, and a pad in Monte Carlo, but the Comers are anything but.

“I’d say we’re very prudent,” says Brian. “We never travel first class or anything like that. Always Ryanair whenever we can.”

‘

Luke was closing a deal, away back in the late nineties, I’d say. Worth a few million. But the flight was getting ready to take off, and the stewardess had to tell him if he didn’t switch his mobile phone off she’d have him thrown off the flight He smiles as he remembers one incident on board a 737.

“Luke was closing a deal, away back in the late nineties, I’d say. Worth a few million. But the flight was getting ready to take off, and the stewardess had to tell him if he didn’t switch his mobile phone off she’d have him thrown off the flight.” He laughs again.

It is an arresting image — Ryanair cabin crew trying to wrest a mobile phone from a Galway businessman as he attempts to close a multi-million pound deal.

But prudence does seem to be their watchword.

“I’d say the best thing to do in business is walk when everybody else is running, and run when everybody is walking,” Brian says.

It’s a philosophy they’ve used in Ireland.

Many property developers — as well as bank, builders and landowners — were swept away as the Celtic Tiger ground to a halt. The Comers bided their time and

from 2010 onwards they’ve focused attention on home ground. Quite simply, the Comers have been on a shopping trip to Ireland buying up ghost estates, defunct hotels, country mansions — all at knockdown prices.

The Comer’s midas touch has already been applied to many of these, such as the Sentinel luxury apartments in Sandyford, south Dublin.

Brian says that the company’s main motivation is keeping ahead of the posse. As the Comer Group is now one of the most successful property companies in Europe, they seem to have done that — with lots of room to spare.

Brian and Luke Comer are this year’s Irish Post Award-winners for Outstanding Contribution to Business in Britain

RYANAIR WRATH: Nothing comes between the Comers and a big business deal

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Community Connections As The Irish Post celebrates 45 years in business, we look at some of the connectors, leaders and influencers who are the Irish in Britain in 2015

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A STELLA ADAMS Publishing Director, Exclusive

Magazines Ltd Originally from Co. Kilkenny Stella heads up Exclusive Magazines, which publishes in London, the south east of England and Ireland. When she’s not running her luxury lifestyle magazine company, which has 20 regional titles, she enjoys sports, music and theatre.

BRIAN ARNOLD Teacher & Co-founder of HegartyMaths From Dublin, Brian Arnold is a qualified teacher who trained in London. In 2011, along with Colin Hegarty, he experimented with the idea of producing YouTube tutorials for maths and their business was born. It was runner up in Richard Branson’s Virgin Media Business Pitch to Rich competition earlier this year.

CONAL AUSTIN Adult and Peadiatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon Conal Austin, who graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 1986, works at Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

B DAVID BAOL Managing Director, Siguler Guff

David Baol was appointed Managing Director of Siguler Guff, a private equity investment firm in January. The Queens University Belfast graduate is also a trustee of Find Your Feet, a charity that helps families in Asia and Africa grow food.

HUGH BEATIE Partner McCann Fitzgerald Hugh Beatie is the lead partner in the London branch of McCann Fitzgerald. An expert in debt capital markets, this University College Dublin graduate was appointed lead counsel for debt capital matters to two of six Irish credit institutions.

JACKIE BELTRAO Sky Sports Presenter Jackie Beltrao, born Jacqueline Leavy in Dublin, grew up in Coventry and now lives in London and works with Sky News. She is a former Olympic gymnast.

PROFESSOR JIM BENNETT Museum Curator & Broadcaster Jim Bennett from Belfast, gained a scholarship to Cambridge in 1966. He ultimately became Director of the Museum of the History of Science at Oxford University in 1994, retiring in 2012. He has appeared in a number of television documentaries.

ROSALEEN BLAIR Founder & CEO, Alexander Mann Solutions Rosaleen Blair came over to Britain in 1996 and set up her own division of the Alexander Mann Group, Alexander Mann Solutions, which she sold in 2013 for €315million.

She remains CEO of the firm.

PAT BOURNE Consul General of Ireland in Scotland Pat Bourne from Glasnevin, Dublin, has served in the Irish Foreign Service since 1990. He has been Consul General of Ireland in Scotland since 2013, and lives in Edinburgh.

DANNY BOYLE Film Director Danny Boyle was born in Lancashire to parents from Co. Galway, and brought up in a working class, Irish Catholic environment. Artistic Director for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London, he began his career as a producer with BBC Northern Ireland.

ADRIAN BRADY CEO Eulogy! Ltd As CEO of PR agency Eulogy! Adrian Brady helped Royal Mail dream up the idea of the Golden Post Boxes in the home-towns of London 2012 Olympic gold medallists.

ANGELA BRADY OBE Architect Director, Brady Mallalieu Architects Having been awarded an OBE this year, TV regular and architect Angela founded her London-based firm over 30 years ago. Since then the firm has designed homes, urban medical centres and community centres across the capital. The former President of the Royal Institute of British Architects has just launched a new RTÉ series Designing Ireland meeting home-grown designers making their mark on the world stage.

ENDA BRADY Sky News Correspondent Enda Brady joined Sky News in 2005 and remains one of its high profile correspondents. From Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, he is also an ambassador for ovarian cancer charity The Eve Appeal.

KARREN BRADY Sporting Executive, Broadcaster &

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Conservative Life Peer in the House of Lords Karren Brady was born in London to an Irish father and Italian mother. She is currently Vice-chair of West Ham United FC and appears on BBC’s The Apprentice alongside Lord Alan Sugar.

BRENDIE BRIEN Secretary of the Provincial Council, Britain GAA Originally from Co. Galway Brendie Brien has been in England for 48 years, now living in London. He is formerly President of Britain GAA. SEAN BROGAN President/CEO, Stobart Air Sean has been CEO of Stobart Air for over three years playing a key role in the airline’s ‘new beginning’ strategy.

Stobart Air is part of the Stobart Group operating out of London Southend Airport.

BOB BROLLY BBC Radio Broadcaster Charity Fundraiser Derry-born Bob Brolly was 15 when his family moved to Coventry, where he still lives. He has received many awards, including an MBE, and an Apostolic Blessing in the Vatican for his fundraising. Bob Brolly’s Irish Programme runs weekly on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire.

JEREMY BROWNE Executive Chairman, J Browne Construction Ltd Trinity College Dublin graduate, Jeremy Browne is the executive chairman of civil engineering and utility company J Browne Construction. He believes in innovation in business while also maintaining a family firm feel.

CANON PAT BROWNE Parish Priest As well as being a Parish Priest at Holy Apostles, Pimlico Canon Pat Browne from Ratoath, Co. Meath, is the first official Catholic Duty Priest to Parliament since the Reformation. He is also Chaplain for London’s Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.

MONSIGNOR PAT BROWNE Parish Priest Mgr Pat Browne has been Parish Priest at St Anne’s Church in Birmingham since 2010. Pope Benedict XVI made him a Monsignor in 2011 for services to the Church.

JEREMY BROWNLEE Founder & Managing Director Pump Technology Ltd Pump Technology Ltd was set up in 1992 and is still led today by Jeremy Brownlee. With a reputation based on years of professional experience in the pump industry the firm is now one of Britain’s leading specialists for domestic and commercial water, wastewater and sewage pumps. The Berkshire-based company is also a leading supporter of Irish community groups, among them London Irish Rugby.

ALAN BURKE Partner, White & Case Alan is a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice of global law firm White & Case, where he leads teams in complex international deals from the firm’s London office. His experience advising clients spans a range of business sectors including energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, mining and financial institutions. He recently advised chemical giant BASF on a multi-billion Euro asset swap with Gazprom. He grew up in Dun Laoghaire and holds a Bachelor of Civil Law from University College Dublin.

SIMON BURKE, Chairman Blue Diamond Ltd Specialist retailer Simon Burke joined Guernsey’s Blue Diamond Group in June as a Non-Executive Chairman. A fully qualified chartered accountant, has managed some of the most notable retail names in Britain. Previous positions have been with retailers including Hamleys, Hobbycraft, Superquinn and Virgin, where he held positions including CEO of Virgin Retail, Virgin Cinemas, and Virgin Entertainment Group.

PAT BUTLER Partner, Resolution Financial Markets Having previously been a Director at McKinsey & Co, Pat Butler joined The Resolution Group in 2011. His 25 years at McKinsey provided Pat with key experience including advising banks, insurance companies and asset managers in Britain. He was born in Co. Tipperary, attending University College Dublin and then qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Author Anderson & Co. JAMES BURKE Television presenter Derry-born James Burke is a broadcaster, science historian and author, who is known for his many documentary television series including Tomorrow’s World.

LOUIS BURKE Office Mason Hayes Curran London Lawyer Louis Burke is the Head of Mason Hayes Curran’s London Office and a member of the Irish firm’s Financial Services team. A University College BComm graduate he advises on a wide range of practice areas including project and acquisition finance, corporate lending, corporate restructuring, with a particular focus on alternative forms of finance, including asset based lending, factoring and invoice discounting.

CONOR BURNS Conservative MP for Bournemouth Conor Burns was born in Belfast but grew up in Hertfordshire. Openly gay, he voted for the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. He was a close acquaintance of Margaret Thatcher.

BISHOP TOM BURNS Bishop of Menevia Belfast man Tom Burns is based in West Wales. As well as his diocesan duties, he is now Bishop Promoter for the Apostleship of the Sea, providing assistance to seafarers.

MICHAEL BYRNE CEO Byrne Group Michael Byrne is CEO of the Byrne Group having taken on the role following the death of his father Patsy in 2013. He has worked in the family business for 20 years and was a director since 2005 bringing with him the experience to advance the Teddington-based construction and engineering firm that was founded by brothers Patsy and Johnny Byrne in 1969. Company projects include The Shard, Canary Wharf and the O2 Arena.

C ROSE CALDWELL Executive Director Concern

Worldwide UK Having taken up her role as Executive Director in 2008, Concern Worldwide UK Rose Caldwell has helped develop a focus on tackling hunger and malnutrition.

Driven by her experience of working overseas with Concern Worldwide in emergency contexts in Burundi and Zimbabwe, Rose plays a key role in responding to those who are worst affected by the increasing number and scale of global humanitarian crises. She is a qualified chartered accountant and previously worked as a management consultant, the Finance Director of a mental health charity and as Assistant Director for the Refugee Housing Association.

PATRICK CALLAGHAN Development Officer Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Scotland Patrick Callaghan has been connected with Comhaltas since an early age. He comes from a Tyrone/Donegal background, lives in Glasgow, and plays accordion. He hosts Trad with Pad on Celtic Music Radio.

DUNCAN CAMPBELL Artist, Film-maker, Turner Prize Winner Dubliner Duncan Campbell came to Glasgow to attend the Glasgow School of Art in 1996 and has been based in the city ever since. He won the Turner Prize in 2014. He has made films about controversial figures such as the Irish political activist Bernadette Devlin and car manufacturer John DeLorean.

FRANCIS MARTIN-XAVIER CAMPBELL, ViceChancellor St Mary’s University, Twickenham Co. Down man Francis Campbell has been Vice Chancellor at St Mary’s University, Twickenham since 2014. He has had a distinguished career as diplomat and academic. From 2005 to 2011, he was the British Ambassador to the Holy See, the first Catholic to hold the post since the Reformation.

BISHOP MICHAEL CAMPBELL Bishop of Lancaster Bishop Michael Campbell OSA was born in Larne, Co. Antrim, and ordained to the priesthood in 971. He is the first Augustinian Friar to be ordained in England since the Reformation.

EMMA CANNING Co-founder, Brilliant Inc Along with her sister Dervla Cogan, Emma Canning founded Brilliant in 2007, with the aim of creating accessible fine jewellery. The sisters are originally from Cork.

THE CAREY FAMILY Careys Originally from Co. Tipperary brothers John, Pat and Tom Carey co-founded their construction company over four decades ago and have since expanded into demolition, civil engineering, house building and environmental solutions, providing services in Britain and Ireland.

Headquarters can be found in Wembley with regional

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21 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

offices across the country.

Denis Deacy is the current Group Managing Director with John Carey Jr heading up Seneca & Careys New Homes as Managing Director.

MARK CARRIGAN Managing Director, Ireland Fund of Great Britain Mark Carrigan spent his formative years in Co. Tipperary and Dublin. He later attended the Dublin Business School and is also a lecturer at the Institute of Fundraising in London.

BOB CASEY CEO, London Irish Rugby Football Club Bob Casey is a former Ireland rugby international who, after a 10-year playing career at London Irish is now CEO having previously been operations manager at the club.

He is originally from Maynooth and lives in Sunbury.

CATHERINA CASEY Founder Craic It Catherina Casey, from Bandon, Co. Cork is the former General Manager of the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith. She founded Craic-It, a London Irish website two years ago.

DERMOT CASEY Barrister Coram Chambers London From Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim, Dermot Casey was called to the bar in 1994. Prior to that he worked as a mental health and child protection social worker. He has an MSc from the London School of Economics.

THE CLANCY FAMILY The Clancy Group PLC Founded in 1958 by Michael Clancy, The Clancy Group is the trading name of the large construction group Clancy Docwra. It remains in family hands under the direction of Dermot, Kevin and Mary Clancy.

MARY CLANCY Co-founder Women’s Irish Network Mary Clancy’s parents emigrated from Co. Clare in 1948.

Her father founded the Utilities and Civil Engineering Clancy Group in 1955 — later Clancy Docwra Limited.

She remains a director of the company.

CATHY CLUGSTON BBC broadcaster Kathy Clugston from Belfast, is a newsreader and continuity announcer on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC World Service.

JAMES COFFEY Founder J Coffey Group Over 24 years ago James Coffey set up J Coffey contractors and following that success just three years later, in 1994, established the J Coffey Group, which now includes J Coffey Construction, Main Contracting Division, J Coffey Rail and J Coffey Plant. It has grown its turnover from £1.3million in 1997 to in excess of £50million today. The group now employs over 450 people and has a client list that includes many of Britain’s top contractors.

DERVLA COGAN Co-founder Brilliant Inc Along with her sister Emma Canning, Dervla Cogan founded Brilliant in 2007, with the aim of creating accessible fine jewellery. The sisters are from Cork.

ETTA COHEN OBE Founder Forward Ladies Etta Cohen, from Dublin, founded the women’s business support organisation Forward Ladies in 2000. She moved from Dublin to Leeds in the late 1950s. In 2015 she was awarded an OBE. DAVID COLLINS Marketing Director Great National Hotels and Resorts Working for Co. Clare-based Great National Hotels and Resorts, Ireland’s largest privately owned hotel group and one of Britain’s fastest growing, David Collins has over 20 years’ experience and has been instrumental in building some of the largest hotel names in Britain and Ireland. He is a Dublin College of Catering graduate and completed his management studies at Trinity College Dublin.

DECLAN COLLIER CEO London City Airport Declan Collier joined London City Airport as CEO in March 2012 having previously been Chief Executive of the Dublin Airport Authority where he oversaw the successful delivery of a £1billion capital investment programme to modernise the aviation gateways to Ireland. He previously worked with ExxonMobil. A native of Dublin, he has a Masters in Economics from Trinity College Dublin.

BRIAN COMER Chair of UK Operations The Comer Group From Glenamaddy in Co. Galway, Brian Comer set up one of Europe’s most successful property companies with his brother Luke. They moved to London in 1984 and Brian now lives in Hertfordshire. The brothers are 2015 Irish Post Award-winners for Outstanding Contribution to Business

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ON THE BALL: London Irish Rugby CEO Bob Casey Picture: Malcolm McNally

in Britain.

LUKE COMER Chair of European Operations The Comer Group From Glenamaddy, Co. Galway, Luke Comer set up a plastering firm with his brother Luke, which turned into a £2billion enterprise. He lives in Monaco, but spends much of his time in London. The brothers are 2015 Irish Post Award-winners for Outstanding Contribution to Business in Britain.

EAMON CONNEELY Chair & CEO Conneely Construction Eamon Conneely, from Galway, founded the Conneely Group in Dublin in 1985 as a plastering and partitioning subcontractor. The London offices were opened in 2006.

ANDREW COPPEL CBE Senior Independent Director Dolphin Capital Investors Ltd As CEO of De Vere Group from 2011 to 2015 Andrew Coppel has over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality and leisure sectors. He is a Queen’s University Belfast law graduate qualified as an accountant with PwC after a move to London. In 2008 he was awarded a CBE for services to Irish Tourism as Chairman of Tourism Ireland.

BREON CORCORAN CEO Betfair It’s been another great year for Breon Corcoran. In August it was announced that Betfair and Paddy Power are to merge in a move that will see them become one of the world’s biggest online betting and gaming companies with Corcoran leading the company. A graduate in Mathematics from Trinity College Dublin, Corcoran has previously worked at Paddy Power, J.P. Morgan and Bankers trust.

RICHARD CORRIGAN Chef and Restaurateur From a 25-acre farm with no electricity in Co. Meath, Richard Corrigan is now a Michelin-starred and world respected chef. After studying at the Dublin Institute of Technology he earned his first Michelin star at Stephen Bull followed by another after opening Lindsay House in Soho. His iconic restaurant Corrigan’s Mayfair has been awarded London Restaurant of the Year by the Evening Standard.

DR JOHN COSTELLO Consultant in Respiratory Medicine Dr John Costello has been a Consultant Physician in general and respiratory medicine since 1977. Graduating from University College Dublin, he has held appointments in Dublin, London, Edinburgh and California highlighting the international respect the medical community has for him. He has published

widely, editing and writing several books. He is now practising at the London Clinic.

PAUL COSTELLOE Founder, Paul Costelloe Design Ltd Now one of the most respected names in British fashion, Paul Costelloe has not always had such a fashionable career. After leaving Blackrock College Dublin at 16 he went to work in a pig factory in Co. Waterford. From there, however, he moved to Paris to train in the Faubourg Saint Honoré Hautes Coutures boutiques. He set up Paul Costelloe Collections in 1978 and is a leading force at London Fashion Week.

FRANK COTRELL-BOYCE Scriptwriter, author Frank Cotrell-Boyce was born in St Helen’s to Irish parents, and remains a committed Catholic. Known partly for his children’s fiction, he won praise as writer of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

MIKE de COURCEY Founder & Managing Director, Travel de Courcey Mike de Courcey, whose family roots are in Connemara, founded Travel de Courcey in 1972. The company now operates more than 130 buses and coaches across the British Midlands.

MICK CROSSAN President London Irish Rugby & Chairman Powerday Mick Crossan is a key Irish business personality in Britain.

With his successful recycling and waste management company Powerday, Mick has provided much needed financial strength to London Irish Rugby and has set a bold vision to make them “one of the biggest clubs in the world.” He has wider sporting interests beyond rugby too and is a strong supporter of Chelsea football club.

London-based he spent most of his childhood summers in his father’s native Co. Cavan playing Gaelic football.

SINEAD CROWLEY Executive Director, Irish International Business Network Originally from Cork City Sinead Crowleyhas been with the IIBN for five years. She also organises fundraising and events for Immigrant Counselling and Psychotherapy.

BISHOP SÉAMUS CUNNINGHAM Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle From Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Bishop Cunningham was ordained to the priesthood in 1966 having studied at St John’s College, Waterford. He spent a year from 1972 to 19 73 at the new Corpus Christi College, London, preparing to begin work as a Diocesan Religious Education and Catechetics adviser.

DENNIS CURRAN Chairman, Barhale

Dennis Curran founded Barhale in 1980 as a specialist tunnelling contractor and under his watch the company has grown to be one of the largest civil engineering businesses in Britain.

This year, Barhale launched its Be Safe app — a result of Curran vision who was keen to create a health and safety app to spread the word about working safely within the construction industry.

D DAVID D’ALTON UK Consultant Director British Irish

Chamber of Commerce David D’Alton is co-founder British Irish Chamber of Commerce. Founder and CEO of D’Alton Kingswell, established in 2002, he continues to lead a British and Irish-based Life Sciences focused commercialisation consulting practice. Formerly an IBM then DEC Corporate Account Director, he specialised in investment trading platform technologies.

ALAN DAVIS, Partner Jones Day With a Law degree and Diploma in European Law from University College Dublin, former Pinsent Masons partner Alan Davis is now partner with Jones Day since February, bolstering its London antitrust team. Specialising in EU and Competition law the financial services, energy, construction and infrastructure, aviation, manufacturing, retail and life sciences sectors are among his areas of expertise.

TREVOR DIVINEY Co-Founder Ground Construction Ltd Trevor Diviney, who traces his roots to Donegal and Wexford, co-founded Ground Construction in 1997 with Tipperary’s Paddy Shanahan. In 2002, the business expanded to undertake in-situ concrete frames and soon after their trading name was changed to GCL. The business has continued to thrive with developments including tower crane hire, pre-cast concrete solutions, skip hire and waste recycling.

MARINA DONOHOE Director UK and Northern Europe Enterprise Ireland Marina Donohoe has worked with Enterprise Ireland since the early 1990s. She moved to the US in 1998, initially to Silicon Valley, where she established a new office in California for the Irish Government agency. A Trinity College graduate, Marina was appointed Enterprise Ireland’s Director Americas in 2002 and relocated to New York City. She has played a key role in attracting new business to Ireland.

DANNY DOHERTY Founder Doherty Academy of Irish Dancing Danny Doherty, from Clonmany, Co. Donegal, left Ireland in 1964 and settled in Coventry. Since its foundation 45 years ago the school has won 115 world championships, more than any other school.

MARTIN DOLPHIN Director Delphic Software Ltd Originally from Dublin, Martin Dolphin serves as the company director and company secretary of Delphic Software Ltd. He started with the company in 1994 and lives in London.

PADDY DONNELLY Managing Director Titan Group Paddy Donnelly is one of the leading names at Titan London, a successful Irish firm that provides building maintenance services. Established in the early 1970’s it has grown steadily to become a leading name in the construction industry proving its expertise in a number of specialist areas such as public health, water, gas and critical services.

CLARE DUFFY General Manager UK ESBI Investments Clare Duffy has extensive experience in power systems engineering industry in both Britain and the US. Joining the ESB in 1999, and appointed as ESBI’s General Manager for Britain in 2011, she is currently involved in projects such as investing and developing gas-fired generation and on-shore windfarms.

DEREK DUFFY UK Operations Director Dornan From Newtownforbes, Co. Longford, Derek Duffy relocated to Britain in 2010. He got his first taste of the building industry working with his father Pat on construction sites during the school holidays in his hometown. After studying electrical engineering in Dublin his first job as a qualified engineer in Belgium. He quickly gained a wide range of experience working on commercial, pharmaceutical and healthcare developments. Dornan employs over 500 people across Britain.

PROFESSOR EAMON DUFFY Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge Professor Eamon Duffy is originally from Dundalk, Co. Louth, is a Fellow and former President of Magdalene College, Cambridge. He is a regular broadcaster/writer about religious matters on British media.

KARL DUFFY Chair, London Irish Business Society Karl Duffy from Dublin, has been with the London Irish Business Society for six years and is their current chairperson. He is also Director of Global Customer Service Operations at BT. RONAN DUNNE CEO Telefonica UK Ltd Dublin-born Ronan Dunne was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Telefónica UK (O2) in 2008 and became a member of the Telefónica SA Executive Committee in March of this year. He moved to Britain in 1987.

BERNARD DWYER Founder PHD Modular Access Bernard Dwyer founded PHD Scaffolding Ltd in 1984.

Today it is one of the biggest independent access providers in Britain. Recent high profile projects have included providing scaffolding at the Houses of Parliament, and at the Cheesegrater or Leadenhall Building in London.

JACKY DWYER Chair of Leeds St Patrick’s Day parade Jacky Dwyer, from Co. Roscommon, left Ireland in 1959.

He served as chair of Leeds Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann for over 40 years and is now involved in organising the Yorkshire city’s St Patrick’s Day festivities.

JOHN DWYER Partner Price Waterhouse Coopers John Dwyer from Dundalk, Co. Louth, has been Chair of the Irish Youth Foundation since 2011 and a trustee since 2004. He is involved in many of the charity’s fundraising activities, including the infamous poker nights organised with chef Richard Corrigan. Based in London he is a graduate of University College Dublin and works with Price Waterhouse Coopers, where he is a global deals leader.

E RICHARD EARDLEY Managing Director Hays

Ireland & Marketing Director Hays UK & Ireland Richard Eardley joined Hays as a Trainee Consultant for

Construction & Property in the Birmingham office in 1988 and quickly developed into the position of Branch Manager. He went on to manage the Bristol and Cardiff offices and later the Edinburgh office. When Hays opened in Ireland in 1996 Richard was charged with running the C&P business. He has appeared on shows such as the Pat Kenny Show on RTÉ, the Breakfast Show and Moncrief on Newstalk.

F CIARAN FAHY CEO Ellerman Hotels

Since training at the Shannon College of Hotel Management, Ciaran Fahy from Lucan has accumulated more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. The award-winning manager has been with Ellerman since October 2012.

LIAM FAHY Designer & Founder Liam Fahy London Born to an Irish father and English mother in Harare, Zimbabwe, shoe designer Liam Fahy studied footwear at DeMontfort University in Leicester. Today he is regarded as one of the top shoe designers in the world.

CANON THOMAS FARRELL Parish Priest Canon Farrell, with family roots mainly in Co. Roscommon, was ordained as a priest in 1983. He has been with the Diocese of Birmingham since then, becoming a canon in 1996 and is Parish Priest at Christ the King in Coventry.

ROSS FINEGAN Founder & Partner Lonsdale Ross Finegan, from Dublin, came to London in 1994 after qualifying as a chartered accountant at UCD. He set up Lonsdale, a private equity firm.

GARY FITZGERALD Chief Executive Action on Elder Abuse Gary Fitzgerald’s career has been focused on social care — first with local government social care provision focusing on all aspects of care of older people, and now with Action on Elder Abuse. He is also a trustee of Esther Rantzen’s The Silver Line helpline, which helps to tackle loneliness among older people.

NIALL FITZGERALD Businessman Niall Fitzgerald, who has received a Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad for 2015, is among the most prominent Irish business leaders across the world. He is active in promoting Irish sporting and educational causes including Munster Rugby and UCD, where he holds official positions. He was awarded the KBE in 2002 while Chairman of the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever.

KEVIN FITZPATRICK Managing Director St Kentigern’s Social Club From Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh, Kevin Fitzpatrick, has been with St Kenigern’s in Manchester since 2002.

During that time the club has raised more than £1million for charity.

NOEL FITZPATRICK Managing Director Fitzpatrick Referrals Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, originally from Laois obtained his Bachelor of veterinary medicine from University College Dublin in 1990. Following scholarships at The University of Pennsylvania and The University of Ghent, he went on to complete the RCVS certificates in small animal orthopaedics and radiology.In 2005 he opened Fitzpatrick Referrals, Britain’s largest dedicated small animal orthopaedic and neuro-surgical facility in Surrey, employing over 140 veterinary professionals and comprising state of the art surgical, diagnostic and rehabilitation facilities. In September the Fitzpatrick team opened a new state of the art cancer hospital for animals.

SEAN FITZPATRICK Executive Chairman VGC Group Cavan native Sean Fitzpatrick has guided VGC into a major contributor of people, projects and services to the British rail and construction industries. Before moving into the engineering industry, he trained as a teacher and taught at The Cardinal Wiseman in Greenford. Sean is an active community supporter and has been Chairman of the Board at Botwell School, Trustee and Treasurer for the AP Taylor Trust and Harlington Hospice. He has also chaired the West London Irish Society and the St. Patrick’s Festival Ball Committee. A family man, he lives in West London and has four daughters.

23 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

LIZ FLANNELLY Owner, Flannelly’s Club Coventry Liz Flannelly was born in Coventry, with family roots in Enniscrone, Co. Sligo. She has owned and run Flannelly’s for the last 14 years.

GERRY FLYNN Founder Enjoy Travel Ballina-born Gerry Flynn, from Mayo, joined Bórd Fáilte, the Irish Tourist Board, as a representative in 1968. In 1989 he founded the travel company Enjoy Travel with his wife Susan.

JOHN FOLEY Founder FOMAC John Foley, the son of Kerryman Pat Foley of North London’s McMahon & Foley Brickwork, co-founded FOMAC almost 20 years ago with business partner James McMahon. Since its inception, the firm has been providing construction support services to many of the leading Irish construction firms throughout London and the south east of England.

John started his career at McInerney Homes where he completed his apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner.

FOMAC is a supporter of local causes with Irish connections including St Joseph’s Football Club in Harrow and more recently, St Albans’ Football Club.

PAUL FURLONG Funeral director, Patrick Ryan & Daughter The son-in-law of Limerick man Pat Ryan who founded Patrick Ryan Funerals, Paul Furlong now runs the London funeral business with Lynn, his wife, who is Patrick Ryan’s daughter.

G CECILIA GALLAGHER Chair Women’s Irish Network

Born in Co. Mayo, Cecilia Gallagher lived in Dublin from the age of nine. She settled in London in 1975. She has been a member of WIN since it was founded 14 years ago.

DONAL GALLAGHER Managing Director The Galldris Group Donal Gallagher co-founded Galldris Construction with his business partner Sean O’Driscoll in 1998.

The pair originally operated from an office within their homes but with a can-do attitude they have gone on to build a hugely successful firm with long-standing client relationships. As the company continued to grow, it moved to north London and in 2008 opened a HQ office in Enfield with a plant hire yard launching just two years later. It now boasts a total workforce of around 500.

DÓNAL GALLAGHER Director Strange Music Ltd Splitting his time between Cork and London, former musician Dónal Gallagher is a manager and producer.

Having grown up in Derry, he is the brother of Blues rock guitar legend Rory Gallagher and has been instrumental in the creation of legacy projects featuring the late musician’s work. Among them is a new comprehensive box-set featuring Rory’s first band, Taste, which was launched this year to mark the 20th anniversary of Rory’s death.

KEVIN GALLAGHER Digital Change Director Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service Formerly the Chief Information Officer at Channel 4, Kevin Gallagher joined Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service this year. The body is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. Gallagher has been CIO at Channel 4 since 2009 responsible for all technology delivery across the broadcaster’s business systems and on-demand streaming services. He previously worked as a Programme Manager for the Legal Aid Agency.

NIALL GALLAGHER Chairman Irish Heritage Educated in Cork, Niall Gallagher has retired from banking, and now devotes his time to working with Irish Heritage, a voluntary arts organisation in London.

THERESA GALLAGHER-MURPHY Scottish Regional Chair, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Theresa Gallagher-Murphy, whose roots lie in Donegal, is a tin-whistle player, flautist, and primary teacher with East Renfrewshire Council. She is head of Comhaltas in Scotland.

KATHLEEN GARRETT Partner Arthur Cox London London-based Finance lawyer Kathleen Garrett trained in Dublin with Arthur Cox and has been a partner in the firm since 1998. Arthur Cox is widely regarded as the leading law firm in Ireland.

CONOR GEARTY Professor of Human Rights Law

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London School of Economics From Abbeylara, Co. Longford, Conor Gearty graduated in law from University College Dublin before embarking on an academic career, largely in England. He is also a barrister and a founder member of Matrix chambers, from where he continues to practise.

BOB GELDOF Musician & Campaigner Back in the studio this year for the first time in three decades with his band the Boomtown Rats Dublin-born Bob Geldof was the driving force behind Band Aid in the mid-eighties, which went on to raise tens of millions of pounds for famine relief in Africa following the release of Do They Know It’s Christmas? and the Live Aid concerts that followed in London and Philadelphia.

BASIL GEOGHEGAN Partner PJT Partners One of Britain’s top investment bankers and educated at Trinity College Dublin, Basil Geoghegan has vast banking experience at institutions such as Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank. He joined Citigroup in 2011 but is now partner at boutique investment firm PJT Partners. He is described as one of the world’s top dealmakers. Having begun his career as a solicitor at London law firm Slaughter and May he has advised on some of Ireland’s biggest deals including the €1billion sale of Bord Gais Energy to Centrica and the Aer Lingus flotation. He is also a non-executive director at the Irish Aviation Authority.

ROBIN GILL Restaurateur & Chef Robin Gill from Sandycove, Dublin, has worked at a variety of prestigious establishments including the two-Michelin starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and a brief stint at Noma, Copenhagen, once the world’s top restaurant. He now steers a series of his own muchgarlanded restaurants in London including The Dairy in Clapham, The Manor and Paradise Garage in Bethnal Green.

ALAN GLEESON Head of Sales & Marketing Keelvar. com London-based Alan Gleeson is a digital and online marketing specialist. With an Economics degree and Masters in Management & Marketing from University College Cork, he moved to Britain in 1998.

RORY GODSON Founder & CEO Powerscourt Dublin-born Rory Godson began his career in journalism in the mid-1980s and was a former deputy editor of the Sunday Tribune. Later he joined The Sunday Times and moved to London where he set up the financial PR company Powerscourt in 2004. This year the company has been brought on by Betfair to provide communications support around its proposed merger with Paddy Power merger.

MICHAEL GOOLEY CBE Founder & Chairman Trailfinders Sheffield-born Michael Gooley is the son of an Irish Guards officer, his mother was a nurse, and the family roots lie in Michelstown Co. Cork. Gooley founded Trailfinders, a travel company, from a small office in Earls Court Road in 1970. Forty-five years on and the company has just been awarded Best Travel Company from Which?.

Gooley founded The Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity in 1995 which has donated more than £33million to good causes such as medical research, community projects and the support of War Veterans.

JONATHAN GREY CEO Ovation Incentives Jonathan Grey, from Cork, is the founder and CEO of Ovation Incentives, a software company specialising in HR and channel sales environments. He is also a founding director and former Chair of the Irish International Business Network.

ORLA GUERIN Broadcaster and journalist Orla Guerin, from Dublin, is an award-winning foreign correspondent with BBC News. She began her career with RTÉ after graduating from Dublin Institute of Technology.

H PATRICK HARTE Barrister Temple Gardens

London-based barrister Patrick Harte joined chambers in 2008 where he now practices solely in crime. With a reputation as a confident and engaging advocate, he enjoys a busy Crown Court practice representing defendants accused of the full range of criminal offences, including those concerned with serious violence and drug

crime. He was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2013.

MARY HEANEY Managing Director The Global Legal Post Originally from Newry, Co. Down Mary Heaney is an entrepreneur, journalist and publisher. A former Editor of The Lawyer, she later set up Global Professional Media and a weekly magazine called Legal Week. A leader in legal technology Mary has been chair of the judges at The Lawyer Awards, among others. She lives in London and studied law at Queen’s University Belfast.

AIDAN HEAVEY Founder & CEO Tullow Oil plc Aidan Heavey is a founding director and shareholder of Tullow Oil plc and has played a key role in the development of the company from its formation in 1985 to its current international status as a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production group. Born in Co. Roscommon, Aidan is also a director of Traidlinks, an Irish-based charity established to develop and promote enterprise and diminish poverty in the developing world, particularly in Africa. He was educated in Clongowes, Co. Kildare, then at the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in Dublin.

SEÁN HACKETT President of Provincial Council of Britain GAA Seán Hackett was born in Antrim, grew up in Tyrone, and moved to England in 1997. He has been associated with the GAA since the age of eight. Seán is a member of St Lawrence’s club in Manchester and was a former member of the John Mitchel’s Club in Liverpool. He works as a Real Estate Litigator with Pannone Corporate LLP in Manchester.

CHARLES HANDY Businessman Born in Kildare in 1932, this management guru has lived in England for many years where he has enjoyed a long career in management science, mainly based at the London Business School. He is most famous for his management writings, including The Empty Raincoat. He has received a Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad for 2015.

NOELETTE HANLEY Chief Officer Luton Irish Forum Noelette Hanley is originally from Ennis, Co. Clare. She has been with Luton Irish Forum for nine years and is now the organisation’s Chief Officer.

ANT HANLON Founder Leeds Irish Health and Homes Ant Hanlon is second-generation Irish. He set up Leeds Irish Health and Homes, a charitable organisation offering a variety of services and support, 20 years ago. He is also Goveror with Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

FELICITY HAYES-McCOY Writer & Co-founder JHM Felicity Hayes-McCoy is a professional writer and former actress originally from Dublin. She founded JHM — an umbrella organisation for artistic projects. She now lives and works between Bermondsey, London and the Dingle Peninsula. She is the author of The House on an Irish Hillside and Enough is Plenty – A year on the Dingle Peninsula.

BLÁTHNAID HEALY UK Editor Mashable London-based Bláthnaid Healy is the UK Editor at Mashable, the digital media website. Prior to joining the company in 2014, she worked for RTÉ and WorldIrish, a start-up focused on the Irish Diaspora.

COLIN HEGARTY Teacher & Co-founder HegartyMaths With family roots in Clare and Mayo, Colin Hegarty is a qualified maths teacher with a first class degree from Oxford. In 2011, along with Brian Arnold, he began producing YouTube maths tutorials and their highly successful business was born.

MICHAEL HEGARTY Co-Director UK Recruiting Ltd From Donegal, Michael Hegarty arrived in England five years ago. He set up UK Recruiting, a construction agency providing specialists in construction, rail and infrastructure industries, with fellow Donegal man Darragh O’Brien.

TONY HENNIGAN Chair Mayo Manchester Tourism & Business Tony Hennigan was born in Levenshulme, Manchester.

With family roots firmly in Co. Mayo, he founded the Mayo Manchester Tourism & Business with his brother Lawrence Hennigan, who is MD of the Levenshulme Pub Company Ltd.

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25 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

RICHARD HENRY Chief Sales Officer Lex Risk Solutions Richard Henry, from Dublin, left Ireland in 2012 and set up Lex Risk Solutions the same year. The company is a leading international consultancy in the insurance and risk management auditing industry.

MARY HICKMAN Professorial Research Fellow at St. Mary’s University Twickenham Liverpool-born Mary Hickman established the Irish Studies Centre at the former University of North London in 1986 as a teaching, research and archival base for Irish Studies. Now based in St Mary’s University, she is also Professor Emeritus in Irish Studies and Sociology at London Metropolitan University. She is the daughter of a Mayo-born mother from London, while her father’s family have roots in Monaghan and Athlone. She is Chair of the London-based Votes for Irish Citizens Abroad campaign and a Trustee of the London Irish Centre.

KATE HOEY MP for Vauxhall Chair of the Countryside Alliance From Mallusk, Co. Antrim, Kate Hoey, has been Labour MP for Vauxhall since 1989. She served as Minister for Sport 1999-2001, and is currently Chair of the Countryside Alliance FINBAR HOLIAN Founder Greencoats Ltd Born in Galway in 1968, Finbar Holian was moved to London when he was 19 and has gone on to establish a popular pub group, including The Claddagh Ring in Hendon, north London and The Quays pub on Holloway Road. “I’ve nearly always have a Claddagh ring on my hand, and being from Galway wanted to have one with me when I moved away, and it’s stuck with me since,” Finbar says.

EAMONN HOLMES Broadcaster & Journalist From Belfast, Eamonn Holmes began his career with UTV and this year celebrates 35 years in broadcasting. He now presents shows on Sky, BBC, Channel 5, and is a celebrity ambassador for the children’s charity, Variety GB. He lives in Surrey and is the host of the annual Irish Post Awards.

SHARON HORGAN Actress, Writer & Producer Sharon Horgan is best-known for her comedy series Catastrophe and Pulling, which she co-write and starred in.

The brother of Ireland rugby Shane Horgan, she was born in London but grew up in Co. Meath. Last year she co-founded independent production company Merman, of which she is now the Creative Director.

TOMMY HUTCHINSON Founder and CEO i-genius While travelling in Indonesia and meeting many extraordinary people there, Derry native Tommy Hutchinson came up with the idea for i-genius, which began trading in 2008. i-genius is a world community of social entrepreneurs who are passionate about social and environmental change.

K CHRIS KANE Principal Chris Kane Associates

Born in Co. Kildare, Chris Kane has a degree from Trinity College Dublin, Chris. His previous career path includes BBC Commercial Projects, The Walt Disney Company. His own company Chris Kane Associates became fully operational in March.

CLLR. PAT KARNEY Manchester City Council A high profile figure in Manchester, Dubliner Pat Karney has been a Labour councillor in the city since 1979. He is the City Centre spokesperson for Manchester City Council.

MARY KAYE Partner Shakespeare Martineau Based in Birmingham, Mary Kaye was born and educated in Limerick, arriving in Britain in 1977. Today she leads the family law team at Shakespeare Martineau and maintains a particular focus on highly complex financial proceedings.

FERGAL KEANE Journalist & Historian Born in London but brought up in Dublin and Cork, Fergal Keane has been a foreign correspondent for much of his career with the BBC. His other projects include the 2011 documentary The Story of Ireland.

GERRY KEANY Founder Cara Stationery Gerry Keany was educated at the Institute of Technology in Sligo and at UCD. Based in Harrow, Cara serves the whole of Britain from Edinburgh to Cardiff, supplying all office supplies.

MARTHA KEARNEY Broadcaster

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Martha Kearney was born in Dublin but brought up largely in England. She is the main presenter of BBC Radio 4’s lunchtime news programme The World at One. PETER KEARNEY Director Catholic Media Office Peter Kearney has been Director of the Catholic Media Office since 2001. His great grandfather Bernard Kearney, from Armagh, helped build the West Highland railway line. Other family roots are in Enniskillen. He lives in Neilston, Glasgow.

MICHAEL KEAVENEY Regional Director UK and Ireland The Conference Board Michael Keaveny, originally from Ballinlough, Co. Roscommon, began his role with The Conference Board (a research organisation) in October having previously served as GB Director with the British Irish Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the Grants Committee of the Ireland Fund of Great Britain.

LOUISE KEEGAN Founder Keegan Academy of Irish Dancing Louise Keegan has family roots in Leitrim and Roscommon. Along with her brother James, she founded the academy three years ago in Manchester.

COLM KELLEHER Executive Vice President & President of Institutional Securities, Morgan Stanley From Bandon in Co. Cork, Oxfordeducated Colm Kelleher has served as the President of Institutional Securities for Morgan Stanley since January 2013. He joined Morgan Stanley in 1989 from Arthur Anderson in London.

JOE KELLIHER Life President Kelliher Insurance Group Joe Kelliher is the founder and owner of Kelliher Insurance Group, having started the business in 1986 with Kerry London Limited. He began his career working in the City of London as messenger boy at L. Hammond & Co in 1965.

COLIN KELLY Managing Director (UK) Kirby Engineering & Construction Colin Kelly was appointed Managing Director at Kirby in May. He is a graduate of Limerick University.

PROFESSOR JOHN KELLY Emeritus Research Fellow in English St John’s College, Oxford Educated at Trinity College Dublin — where he was a Foundation Scholar and of which he is now an Honorary Fellow — and at Cambridge University, John Kelly has written extensively on 19th and 20th century literature and is General Editor of The Collected Letters of W.B Yeats.

HENRY KELLY Broadcaster & Journalist From Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Henry Kelly was the Belfast-based Northern Editor of The Irish Times in the 1970s, before switching to broadcasting. He currently presents a Saturday show on BBC Radio Berkshire.

RUTH KELLY Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise, St Mary’s College, Twickenham From Limavady, Co. Derry, Ruth Kelly was MP for Bolton

West 1997-2010, and held various ministerial positions under Tony Blair. She is a member of Opus Dei. TIM KELLY Founder & Chairman Kelly Group Kelly Communications was founded in 1985 by Donegal man Tim Kelly to target the emerging British cable television market. By the early 1990s, the company had evolved into the Kelly Group to include a complete network of turnkey, planning, construction and maintenance services for its clients. Among its current client portfolio are companies such as Virgin Media, British Telecom, Skanska UK, Siemens, and Network Rail.

THE KELLY FAMILY DSM Demolition Ltd Kildare native Patrick Kelly set up P J Murray Haulage in the 1960’s. The company evolved into DSM Demolition, a leading demolition and decommissioning expert in Europe. Now retired, the business - which has its head office in Birmingham - is managed day-to-day by his children Jim, Des and John Kelly. Among the firm’s most prestigious projects is IRFC Lansdowne Road, Ballymun Regeneration and Belfast Silo Works.

PROFESSOR RALPH KENNA Coventry University From Athlone, Professor Ralph Kenna has lived in England since 2002 and is professor at the Applied Mathematics Research Centre. His research areas include critical phenomena, sociophysics and the Cattle Raid of Cooley. He lives in Rugby.

LOUISE KENNEDY Fashion designer From Puckane,

Co. Tipperary, Louise Kennedy is recognised as one of Ireland’s most successful fashion designers. She opened her flagship stores in Dublin and London in 1997, the same year she designed uniforms for flight staff on Aer Lingus.

She is a 2014 Company of the Year Irish Post Award-winner.

HARRY KEOGH Regional Managing Director & Head of London Coutts & Co. Harry Keogh has experience at the top of the banking sector for more than a quarter of a century. He joined Coutts in 2009.

STEPHEN KEOGH Partner & Head of William Fry London Dublin-born Stephen is a lawyer specialising in private equity and venture capital work. He is also the External Examiner for Business Law in the Law Society of Ireland.

BRENDAN KERR Owner & CEO Keltbray Brendan Kerr from Belfast is the owner of Keltbray, founded in 1976 as a construction business. It has since expanded to become a specialist contractor that provides engineering, construction, demolition, decommissioning, remediation, rail and environmental services across the country.

ANDY KERMAN Senior Partner Kerman & Co With family roots in Co. Wexford, Andy Kerman co-founded Kerman & Co along with Daniel O’Connell in 1998. During a long career in the law Andy Kerman has advised Heads of State, entrepreneurs and people from all walks of life on a wide range of issues.

MIKE KIELY Founder Kiely Bros Kiely Bros was established in the late 1950s as a construction and re-surfacing business by Mike Kiely’s parents. Under Mike Kiely’s stewardship, the business has expanded rapidly throughout Britain.

ORLA KIELY Designer Founded in 1995 the Orla Kiely brand expresses Orla’s love of pattern, colour, texture and rhythm. Hailed as the queen of print Orla is world renowned for her instinctive graphic discipline to simplify and stylise everyday motifs.

From a small collection of accessories, commissioned exclusively by Harrods following her graduation from the Royal Academy of Art, the range has grown to include a complete ready-to-wear collection as well as homeware and stationery. With a number of shops in the Britain the brand has grown to have a global reach in New York following collaborations with Uniqlo and Target.

PAT KING CEO The Doyle Collection Formerly Chief Financial Officer of The Doyle Collection, Pat King has steered the luxury boutique hotel group to ever greater success. Founded 50 years ago, today the company comprises eight hotels in Ireland, England and the US.

HOWARD KINGSTON Co-founder @Adludio From Co. Wicklow, Howard Kingston is CEO of advertising technology company @Adludio (formerly Future Ad Labs). He is also a lecturer in marketing at General Assembly London, as well as writing for the Huffington Post.

MICHAEL KINGSTON Partner, DWF law firm Named in the Lloyd’s List 100 2014 as one of the world’s most powerful people in shipping, lawyer Michael Kingston comes from Goleen, Co. Cork. He has recently been included in the Tanker industry’s Top 50 most influential people.

L KEVIN LAGAN Chairman, Lagan Construction

Group Kevin Lagan from Belfast steers his company, which evolved from a North of Ireland quarrying company into a multi-million construction company with offices in three continents.

MICHAEL LANDY Artist Michael Landy, one of Britain’s most respected contemporary artists, comes from a Catholic Irish family in the East End of London. He is best known for the performance piece installation Break Down (2001), in which he destroyed all his possessions.

VALERIE LAWLOR Partner, McCann Fitzgerald Alongside Hugh Beattie, Valerie Lawlor overseas McCann Fitzgerald’s London office. McCann FitzGerald was the first major Irish law firm to establish offices in London in 1986. She has been a partner with the firm since 2004.

JOHN LEAHY Operations Director Zutec Technologies Ltd Waterford native John Leahy is the man behind the success of Zutec - a global company with over 16 years’ experience in providing world class web and mobile platform device solutions to the construction, engineering and facilities management industries. With regional offices in Australia, Hong Kong, Qatar, London and Boston and Dublin, process and data management capabilities are a key strength in the projects they deliver.

TERRY LEAHY, Former Tesco CEO Sir Terence Patrick Leahy was born in Liverpool to Irish parents. In 2010, The Tablet publication named him as one of Britain’s most influential Catholics. He lives in Hertfordshire. In 2012 he published the business book Management in 10 Words.

EDDIE LINDEN Poet, Publisher & Poetry Editor Eddie Linden, 80, was born Sean Edward Glackin in Co. Tyrone. Subsequently he was adopted and brought up in Motherwell. He set up the acclaimed poetry magazine

SHOWTIME: Annie Mac is a popular BBC Radio 1 DJ

Aquarius in London in 1969.

DESMOND LYNAM Television presenter Born in Ennis, Co. Clare, Desmond Lynam has enjoyed a broadcasting career spanning 40 years and has covered some of the world’s great sporting occasions. He received an OBE in 2008.

EAMON LYNAM Director Kylemore Services Ltd Eamon Lynam, who attended Salvatorian College School in Harrow Weald, has been director at Kylemore, a specialist building services contractor, for 19 years. High profile projects that have had a Kylemore involvement include the London Olympic Stadium and BBC Broadcasting House.

JOE LYNAM BBC Business Correspondent From Dublin, Joe Lynam is the BBC’s business correspondent. Before becoming a journalist, Lynam ran a chain of pubs in Germany.

LIAM LYNCH Founder & Managing Director L. Lynch Plant Hire and Haulage Ltd Through the vision of founder and Managing Director Liam Lynch, L. Lynch Plant Hire and Haulage Ltd has become a plant and haulage firm that not only provides the right machines, but the perfect package — the right equipment and operators, in a safe, cost-effective and efficient manner. More than 30 years since its creation, that vision has been realised and Lynch is now one of the most recognisable names in British plant hire, with a reputation for quality, continual investment in staff and equipment and, above all, customer satisfaction. With an expansive fleet of modern plant and equipment, Lynch provides operated, self-drive and contract hire plant to a variety of sectors within the construction arena.

MICHAEL LYNCH Co-founder of Autonomy Corporation Mike Lynch was born in Essex to a family with Co. Tipperary roots. He co-founded the Cambridge-based Autonomy Corporation software operation, which he sold to Hewlett-Packard for £6.5billion.

BISHOP PATRICK LYNCH Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Southwark Bishop Lynch, from Cork City, is Chair of the Office for Migration Policy and is a member of the Bishops’ Conference Department of International Affairs.

COLM LYON Founder & CEO, Fire Financial Services Colm Lyon is a graduate of University College Dublin. His company, the online payments service Realex Payments, was founded by him in Dublin in 2000. It was acquired by Global Payments this year when it became Fire Financial Services.

M ANNIE MAC Broadcaster, TV presenter & DJ

Dublin-born Annie McManus has been a DJ on BBC Radio 1 since 2004. A graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast, she now lives in London.

SINEAD MAC LUA Senior Lawyer, Practice Head for GB Business Banking & NI Businesses Sinéad Mac Lua trained as a lawyer in London and later became a partner in private practice with Harris Rosenblatt and Kramer. In 2003, she joined Bank of Ireland’s Group Legal Services team in London where she is a Senior Lawyer and Practice Head for GB Business Banking and the NI Businesses. Sinéad’s career has concentrated on dispute resolution work in banking, property, professional negligence matters as well as fraud, insolvency and multi-party claims. Serving on the Advisory Committee of the Irish Youth Foundation, she is also a member of Women’s Irish Network and Irish Heritage.

RONAN MAGUIRE Principle Solicitor & Director, Maguires Solicitors With offices in London and Manchester legal firm Maguires was founded in 2008 by Ronan Maguire. Ronan has developed a particular specialism in defending allegations of serious financial and regulatory crime and Consequently the firm has been involved in high profile HMRC prosecutions in recent years. His first job was as a criminal litigation clerk in his native Enniskillen in 1993.

DESMOND MAGUIRE Owner & MD Desmond Maguire Funeral Directors Desmond Maguire has run his funeral company in Glasgow since 2006 — after being in the business since the age of 15.

His family roots are in Co. Fermanagh and Co. Donegal.

27 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

GARETH MALONE OBE Choirmaster & Broadcaster As a populariser of choral music London-based Gareth Malone was born into a family of Irish descent. His father James grew up in Scotland in an Irish family, his mother is also of Irish descent. Until 2009 he worked for the London Symphony Orchestra and is best known for his reality television series The Choir, broadcast on BBC Two. MAURICE MALONE CEO Birmingham Irish Association Both of Maurice Malone’s parents are from Dublin. He was born in Birmingham, and has been with Birmingham Irish Association, formerly Irish in Birmingham, since 2004.

He began working in Adult Social Care & Health for Birmingham City Council at the age of 18.

VANESSA MARKEY Head of Great Britain Tourism Ireland Having joined Tourism Ireland in 2012 as the group’s new head of Great Britain Vanessa Markey has been instrumental in the promotion of the island of Ireland in the British market. A native of Trim in Co. Meath, Vanessa has extensive senior marketing experience, having worked previously worked with Bentley Motors and Jaguar Land Rover.

MAURICE MARTIN Director Microsoft UK’s Server and Cloud Business Maurice Martin is responsible for overall go-to-market strategy and business performance having joined Microsoft nine years ago as the Director Of Platform Marketing. Prior to Microsoft, Maurice was part of the Carlyle European Software Venture fund based in London. Maurice, a Trinity College Dublin graduate, lives in West Berkshire with his family.

TIMOTHY RANDALL MARTIN Founder JD Wetherspoons Plc Founder of one of Britain’s biggest chain of pubs, Tim Martin was born in the North of Ireland. He initially studied law at Nottingham University and qualified as a barrister. However, a life in the legal profession didn’t appeal, so Martin swapped bars. He opened the first Wetherspoons in Muswell Hill in 1979 when he was just 24 with over 900 bars now in his portfolio. 2015 has been a significant year for the firm’s expansion into Ireland. The latest venues are found across Dublin and Cork, with more to come.

SEAN MASTERSON Director Masterson Holdings Ltd As one of its directors, Masterson Holdings – founded in 2001 – Sean helps lead a staff of over 500 wokring in three subsidiary companies providing a variety of services to the construction industry across London and the Home Counties. The first two of those three subsidiaries – Getjar Limited and Atlantic Contracts – both established by the group’s managing director and owner, Achill Island-born Michael Masterson, specialise in reinforced concrete frames, groundworks, carpentry and joinery. The third subsidiary – Glencoe Plant Services – specialises in the hiring of plant and equipment.

MAXINE MAWHINNEY BBC News Anchor & Broadcast Journalist Born in Bangor, Co. Down, Maxine Mawhinney was BBC duty presenter in 1997 when news broke of the car crash of Diana, Princess of Wales. She can be seen in this role in the feature film The Queen.

PROFESSOR MARY McALEESE Distinguished Professor in Irish Studies St Mary’s University, Twickenham Belfast-born Professor Mary McAleese served as the 8th President of Ireland from 1997-2011. She graduated in Law from Queen’s University Belfast in 1975 and in January takes up a position at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

CAROLYN McCALL CEO EasyJet Born in India to a Scottish father and an Irish mother, Carolyn McCall has been CEO of easyJet since 2010, and is currently one of five female CEOs of a FTSE 100 Index company in Britain.

KATE McCARTHY Chair Coventry Irish Society Kate McCarthy has been chair of Coventry Irish Society, which was set up in 1993, for the last seven years. She lives in Coventry.

SIMON McCARTHY Manager Coventry Irish Society Simon McCarthy, with roots in Kerry and Limerick, has been manager of Coventry Irish Society since February.

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He lives in Coventry.

TONY MCDAID Practice Director No5 Chambers Tony McDaid is the longest serving member of No5 Chambers’ administration team having joined in 1980. He qualified as a member of the Institute of Barristers Clerks in 1988 and was appointed Senior Clerk in 1992 before being promoted to the post of Practice Director in 1994.

Sitting on the Professional Practice Committee of the Bar Council, he is also a council member of the Birmingham Law Society, serving as chair of its International Committee.

SEAN McDONAGH Group Managing Director Tony McDonagh & Co Ltd/North London Insurance Group Tony McDonagh & Co. Limited was incorporated in 1971 and has subsequently established itself as one of Britain’s largest independently owned and progressive insurance brokers. The company structure also incorporates North London Insurance Group (NLIG Ltd). Under the guidance of Sean McDonagh the company provides access to the insurance market, including Lloyd’s and London markets for complex or specialist covers.

ALEX McDONNELL Co-ordinator The Aisling Project From Kerry, Alex McDonnell has been in England for more than 25 years. He helped set up the Aisling Project in London 21 years ago, which aims to reach out and help Irish people who are vulnerable, isolated and alone.

It also provides supported holidays in Ireland for long-term emigrants, fulfilling what is for many a dream of seeing their homeland again.

BERNARD McEVOY Partner Brown Rudnick Bernard McEvoy represents clients in financings, stock exchange admissions, mergers and acquisitions and both in-and-out-of-court restructurings.

SEAMUS McGARRY Director & Community leader Seamus McGarry is a native of Kilkenny and has been a prominent member of the Irish community in Britain for over 45 years. Having served over 10 yearse as chairman of the Federation of Irish Societies, he was a founder member of the Ireland Fund of Great Britain. A GAA man he is currently on the Irish Government Emigrant Services Committee and Director of the Irish Cultural Centre.

FATHER EUGENE McGILLYCUDDY Chair Yorkshire County Board GAA Father Eugene McGillycuddy, from Co. Derry, is Parish Priest at St Nicholas, Leeds. He came to England in 1974.

He is also president of the Leeds Going Irish committee.

CONOR McGINN Member of Parliament Conor McGinn, from Camlough, Co. Armagh, is MP for St Helen’s North. He is currently Chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Irish in Britain.

JOHN McGRANE Director General British Irish Chamber of Commerce John McGrane, from Drogheda, Co. Louth, was one of the co-founders of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce in 2011. He also worked for the Ulster Bank for 40 years.

THE McGRATH FAMILY The McGrath Group McGrath Bros was established in 1972 by its incumbent founders, David, Michael and Patrick McGrath. Based in East London, the company initially provided skip hire services to the local building and construction sectors.

The company now operates two MRFS, a seven-acre site in Hackney and a further 10-acre facility in Barking. With over 40 years in the sector, McGrath’s remain excited by the challenge of modern-day waste management, recycling, re-using and the related energy sector.

Investment in recycling plant, equipment, technology and training enables the Group to recycle almost all of the waste handled and the ethos and mission is all-waste-is-a-resource and zero-to-landfill. The McGrath Group has now grown into a multi-disciplined organisation which employs 180 staff and has a turnover in excess of £35million.

PETER McGRATH Managing Director McGrath Group Peter McGrath established the McGrath Group in Lisburn, Co. Antrim in 1981. Today the supplier of structural and architectural steel metalwork, it has its sister office in Tottenham, London.

DONAL McINTYRE Journalist & Visiting Professor of Criminology Birmingham City University Donal McIntyre from Dublin is an investigative journalist,

specialising in investigations, undercover operations and television exposés.

GERALDINE McKENNA Advisor Cedar Capital Partners Born and educated in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Geraldine McKenna is now an advisor with Cedar Capital Partners — a hotel investment firm — having joined in 2009 and worked with the firm full time until last year. She has previously held positions as CEO of Maybourne Hotel Group and as executive vice-president of the Savoy Group. Geraldine started her career with British Airways.

She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2002 and has previously held board positions including Visit London, Hartwell PLC and Walpole.

MARY McKENNA Technology Entrepreneur & Angel Investor From the North of Ireland, Mary McKenna was Chair of Northern Ireland’s Digital Circle between 2010 and 2015.

Last year she was awarded the MBE for services to digital technology, innovation and learning.

NORMAN McKINLEY Managing Director of Operations British Red Cross Norman McKinley, a graduate from Queens University Belfast also holds an MBA from the Ulster Business School at the University of Ulster. He now lives in Gloucestershire.

BISHOP PATRICK McKINNEY Bishop of Nottingham Bishop Patrick McKinney is the eldest son of Patrick and Bridget McKinney, from Ireland, and was brought up in Birmingham. He was appointed 10th Bishop of Nottingham in May. KEVIN McLOUGHLIN Founder & MD KM McLaughlin Decorating Ltd KM McLaughlin’s decoration contracts run on schemes as diverse as social housing, refurbishments, hotels, interior design, property/facility management, heritage and all commercial areas. The company’s portfolio includes high profile projects such as The Savoy in The Connaught and The Churchill as well as helping to fit out the British Museum, Lords Cricket Ground and Fulham Palace. Last year Kevin was awarded OBE services to skills training in the painting and decorating trade. The Islington native was born in London to Irish parents from Donegal and Kildare.

JAMES McMAHON Co-founder & Director FOMAC Construction Ltd James McMahon established FOMAC Construction Ltd in 1996 with business partner John Foley. A Fellow of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals, James has been responsible for developing the company into a strong, competitive and financially secure organisation. He has an in-depth knowledge of both the construction and recruitment industries.

Throughout the years FOMAC has provided reliable employment opportunities to many first-generation and second-generation Irish people on construction sites and also at head Office in Park Royal, London NW10.

SIR DAVID McMURTRY Co-founder of Renishaw plc Sir David McMurtry, from Dublin, owns Swinhay House in Gloucestershire, featured in Sherlock on BBC TV. McMurtry and John Deer founded Renishaw, a high-tech measuring group in 1973. He was a 2014 Irish Post Award-winner for Technology.

PADDY McNALLY Founder Allsport Management Donegal-born Paddy McNally, a former racing driver, has now retired from the Formula 1 hospitality business having founded Formula 1 trackside advertising company Allsport Management. He owns the former Wiltshire home of James Bond author Ian Fleming.

PETER McNULTY CEO Irish in Britain Peter McNulty, from Newry, Co. Down, is the new CEO of the Irish in Britain organisation taking up the role in early November. He comes from a commercial background.

JENNIE McSHANNON Organisational Consultant, Tavistock Consulting Originally from Belfast, Jennie McShannon was formerly Chief Executive of Irish in Britain. She has been with Tavistock Consulting since September.

PROFESSOR JOHN MITCHELL Former Chief Scientist Met Office John Mitchell, from Downpatrick, Co. Down, is a leading world expert on climate change, serving as Chief Scientist at the Met Office, and on its Executive, for seven years. He now advises the current Chief Scientist.

IN BUSINESS YOU HAVE TO BE SINGLE MINDED. And the same goes for a bank. At Allied Irish Bank (GB), we’re single minded. We specialise in offering Owner Managed Businesses all the banking they need.

To talk to a bank that’s as focused as you are, call 0345 034 3253 or visit aibgb.co.uk

Telephone lines open from 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays in England and Wales. Calls may be recorded and monitored for security and training purposes. Calls to 0345 numbers are the same costs as a call to “01” or “02” landline numbers and charged at local rate. Calls to an 0345 number are also included in any bundled minutes or free talk that covers landline calls.

Allied Irish Bank (GB) and Allied Irish Bank (GB) Savings Direct are trademarks used under licence by AIB Group (UK) p.l.c. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c.), incorporated in Northern Ireland. Registered Office 92 Ann Street, Belfast BT1 3HH. Registered Number NI018800. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

29 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

TOM MITCHELL Founder,T Mitchell & Co Plant Hire Tom Mitchell was born in Maugherow, Co. Sligo in 1944.

He moved to London in 1963, labouring by day and cleaning offices by night. After practising on a machine during his breaks it wasn’t long before he was operating one full time for Laings. Starting out on his own in 1973 with just one JCB loader, he built T. Mitchell & Co Plant Hire up to a fleet of over 30 construction vehicles by the 1980s. The company now offers a full range of modern plant operated or self-drive throughout the south-east of England.

PHILIP MORROW Founder Wild Rover Productions Belfast-born Philip Morrow founded Wild Rover Productions in 1999. It is best known for Just For Laughs.

He also wrote and produced Fluke, presented by Tim Vine on Channel 4.

MARTIN MOCKLER Managing Partner Evans Mockler Martin Mockler, from Roscommon, co-founded the long-established firm of chartered certified accountants and registered auditors. They are based in Herfordshire.

MICHAEL MORAN Founder MP Moran & Sons Ltd Michael Moran left his native Mayo in the 1960s for England. In London he worked as a carpenter on building sites. In 1976, having spotted a gap in the market, he opened a hardware store on Kilburn’s busy High Road, which flourished and set up the foundation for a group that would eventually employ over 180 people. Four other branches followed, in West Hampstead, Kennington, Willesden and Watford in 2009. Today his stores provide everything from materials for major building projects to equipment for garden landscaping.

TOMMY MORAN Director Moran Hospitality Educated in Limerick and Dublin, Tommy Moran has been Director at Moran Hospitality since February following the successful sale of the Moran & Bewley’s Group of hotels and pubs.

DANIEL MULHALL Irish Ambassador to Britain Waterford-born Daniel Mulhall has been Ambassador to Britain since 2013. Prior to his current appointment, he was Irish Ambassador to Germany. Educated at University College Cork he has worked with Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs since 1978.

PETER MULLEN Entrepreneur London-based Dubliner Peter Mullen has a multi-million stake in Hunter, the wellington boot business. Formerly, he and his brothers James and John sold shirtmaker Thomas Pink to the French company, LVMH, for £49million.

JOE MULLIGAN OBE Head of First Aid Education British Red Cross Joe Mulligan, originally from Callow, Co. Mayo, has been with the Red Cross for over 20 years. He received an OBE this year. He lives in Bedfordshire.

ADRIAN MULRYAN Partner Arthur Cox London Based in the firm’s London office Adrian Mulryan joins Arthur Cox’s Asset Management and Investment Funds Group from ETF provider Source where he was General Counsel.

Adrian has worked in the City since 2003, first in structured finance at Allen & Overy LLP before joining ABN AMRO Bank/RBS as a Director and Head of Retail Issuance (Legal).

SEAN MULRYAN Chairman Ballymore Group As 2014’s Irish Post Outstanding Contribution to Business in Britain Sean Mulryan is the founder and chairman of the international property development company, Ballymore Group. He is one of Ireland’s most successful businessmen. Sean founded Ballymore Group in 1982 at the age of 26 and as chairman has grown the company into one of Britain and Ireland’s largest property developers. Among Ballymore’s many cutting edge projects is this year’s world-first 90ft-long 10-stories-up floating sky pool at Nine Elms, London’s new riverside district beside Battersea Power Station.

DR GERARD MURPHY Non-Executive Director British American Tobacco plc Irish-born, now living in Britain, Dr. Gerard Murphy has been a Non-Executive Director of British American Tobacco plc since March 2009. He holds a BSc and PhD in food technology from University College Cork and a MBS in Marketing from University College Dublin.

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HUGH P MURPHY Chairman & CEO Charles Street Buildings Ltd The Charles Street Buildings Group grew out of Murphy Bros. Limited, a civil engineering business created by brothers Hughie and Paddy Murphy, from south Armagh, in 1945. The Group is now led by Hugh P Murphy (born in Leicester), son of Paddy and nephew of Hughie.

MARY MURPHY Co-ordinator Derby Rose Centre Mary Murphy, originally from Waterford but brought up in Tralee, has been in England for 53 years. She has been organising the Derby Rose of Tralee selection process for 33 years.

MIKE MURPHY Executive Director Co-operation Ireland GB Born in London, Mike Murphy is the son of parents from Cork and Galway. He was with the Ogilvy Group before joining Co-operation Ireland in 2005.

STEPHEN MURPHY Board member Irish International Business Network A graduate of University College, Dublin, Stephen Murphy has been on the board of the IBBN since January this year. His full time job is Luxury Director, Europe at Bloomberg LP. PAT MURHPY Founder Nottingham Irish Studies Group From Cork, Pat Murphy founded the Nottingham Irish Studies Group in 1991. He runs history sessions for the NISG, and is currently undertaking research on the Irish War of Independence.

PATRICK MURPHY Artist & Curator Based in Sheffield, Patrick Murphy is an artist, curator, designer and entrepreneur, with over 25 years of experience in the design and art sectors. He is founder and director of Sheffield Design Week.

CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O’CONNOR Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster Born in Reading, Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor is the second most senior Catholic in Britain. One of six siblings, his parents were from Cork. He lives in west London.

TONY MURRAY Director Irish Studies Centre, London Metropolitan University Having graduated in Irish Studies in 1992 and, after running an Irish community bookshop and literary festival for a number of years, Tony Murray joined the Irish Studies Centre at London Metropolitan University where he supported its research on the Irish in Britain and organised the annual Public Lecture Series. He is now responsible for the Archive of the Irish in Britain, a unique collection of documents, audio and video recordings, books, photographs and ephemera cataloguing the history of the Irish in Britain from the late 19th century to the present day. He also runs the Irish in Britain Seminar Series and the annual Irish Writers in London Summer School since its inception in 1996.

N MICHAEL NEVIN Chair, Provincial Council of Britain

for Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Michael Nevin has been chair of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Britain for the last two years, having been involved with the organisation since 1988.

DENIS NOLAN Founder & Managing Director, Toureen Mangan Toureen Mangan was founded in 1991 — originally in the family home — by Denis Nolan to provide services such as demolition work and foundation laying for the construction industry. The company is based in Harrow, Middlesex and over the past two and a half decades the company’s portfolio of specialist services has expanded to include major demolition, groundworks and civil engineering.

GRAHAM NORTON Broadcaster Born Graham William Walker in Clondalkin, Dublin, Graham Norton grew up in Bandon, Co. Cork. He began his broadcasting career in Britain with BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends.

JOHN NUGENT CEO Green & Fortune In 2008 John Nugent, a Dublin catering college graduate, founded his own company Green & Fortune — a business that encompasses three brands— Rotunda Bar, Restaurant and Private Dining; Green & Fortune Café; and Kings Place — an arts, conference and commercial building in Kings Cross.

O DAMON OLDCORN Entrepreneur in Residence

Oldcorn & Oldcorn LLP Damon Oldcorn is the Entrepreneur in Residence at Oldcorn & Oldcorn LLP with roles as an Interim Director/ NED/Chairman/Advisor at growth companies in TMT. He is based in London.

GERRY O’BOYLE Director Telegreen Ltd & The Boogaloo Gerry O’Boyle is the owner of Telegreen, a recycling equipment sales company providing waste reduction machines such as cardboard balers, bin compactors and bottle crushers to businesses, helping them to cut their waste costs and increase profits. Clients include the like of McDonalds, KFC, Wahaca, The Shard and The Ritz London.

As well as waste reduction, O’Boyle runs the popular Boogaloo night spot in London, a bar “long famed for its lives shows and strange and wonderful happenings.”

Before taking on Boogaloo, Gerry ran the notorious Filthy McNasty’s Whisky Cafe in Islington.

DARA Ó BRIAIN Comedian & Broadcaster From Bray, Co. Wicklow, Dara Ó Briain is a graduate of University Collge Dublin. However, he eschewed the academic life to become a comedian and television presenter. He lives in west London.

DARRAGH O’BRIEN Co-founder UK Recruiting From Burt, Co. Donegal, Darragh O’Brien relocated to England in 2004. In 2013 he set up UK Recruiting, a construction agency, with fellow Donegal man Michael Hegarty.

EDNA O’BRIEN Writer Edna O’Brien from Tuamgraney, Co. Clare, went from banned, exiled writer to revered doyenne of Irish literature. She has been described by her American peer Philip Roth as the greatest living woman writing in English. She lives in London.

THOMAS O’BRIEN Owner & Director O’Halloran And O’Brien Ltd Born in Tourmakeady, Co. Mayo, Thomas O’Brien came to London in 1965. He met Billy O’Halloran on a building site and they founded O’Halloran & O’Brien Ltd in 1972. In 2002 Tom assumed sole ownership.

DEIRDRE O’BYRNE Chair of Nottingham Irish Studies Group, Lecturer in Irish Literature, Loughborough University Deirdre O’Byrne, from Co. Carlow, arrived in Britain in 1988 as a mature student, and joined Nottingham Irish Studies Group in 2003. A storyteller, she presents Irish legends in schools, festivals, libraries etc throughout Britain.

BRIAN O’CONNELL Consultant Director British Irish Chamber of Commerce Brian O’Connell was formerly the voice of RTÉ in Britain as its London Editor for 23 years. In his new role he brings to the Chamber extensive communications and network experience at a time of considerable interest in British/ Irish affairs in the business space and beyond.

DANIEL O’CONNELL Co-founder & Managing Partner, Kerman & Co Born in Tipperary Town, Daniel O’Connell studied law at University College Dublin, and was admitted as a solicitor in Ireland in 198. He co-founded Kerman & Co with Andy Kerman in 1998.

SEAN O’CONNOR Editor BBC Radio 4’s The Archers Wirral-born Sean O’Connor comes from a family of Irish Catholics in the Birkenhead area. Prior to his Ambridge appointment, he was series story producer at the BBC’s EastEnders.

KELLY O’CONNOR Founder & Director Irish Film London Now in its fifth year, Irish Film London was founded by Kelly O’Connor, from Dublin who is a former general manager at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith.

The festival presents the latest Irish film and animation and runs events through the year, including the film section of the Mayor of London’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival and the annual five-day Irish Film Festival London in November.

BERNARD O’DOHERTY Managing Director Siteman Recruitment Ltd Bernard O’Doherty, from Co. Limerick, qualified as a civil engineer at Queens University of Belfast in 1989. He set up Siteman Recruitment in 2012.

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PAUL O’DONNELL Managing Director Pod Trak Donegal man Paul O’Donnell left Ireland in 2004, and started Pod-Trak, a service provider for the rail industry, eight years ago. The company has offices in Newcastle and London.

JACQUELINE O’DONOVAN Managing Director O’Donovan Waste Disposal Ltd O’Donovan (Waste Disposal) Ltd was founded by Joe O’Donovan from west Cork in the 1950s. Joe died suddenly in 1985, and his family took over the business.

Industry award-winner Jacqueline O’Donovan is now Managing Director of the company, which is now one of London’s largest and leading independent waste management firms.

SEAN O’DRISCOLL Managing Director The Galldris Group Sean O’Driscoll co-founded Galldris Construction with his business partner Dónal Gallagher in 1998. The pair originally operated from an office within their homes but with a can-do attitude they have gone on to build a hugely successful firm with long-standing client relationships. As the company continued to grow, it moved to north London and in 2008 opened a HQ office in Enfield with a plant hire yard launching just two years later. It now boasts a total workforce of around 500.

DERMOT O’GRADY Chief Executive Ardent Tide Ltd Dermot O’Grady has worked on tax and employment issues within the construction Industry since arriving from Ireland in 1989. He began his career as an accountant, providing accounting and tax advice to construction businesses. Dermot’s business specialises in working with construction companies who need to engage labour only subcontractors. Dermot is also heavily involved in the Lighthouse Club Charity, a construction-based charity.

FRANCES O’GRADY General Secretary of the British TUC Frances O’Grady was born in Oxford. She became General Secretary of the TUC in 2013 when she was assessed as the 11th most powerful woman in Britain by BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour.

JIM O’HARA Chair of Board, Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith Jim O’Hara, born in Belfast and studied at Queen’s University, Belfast, was a history lecturer in various universities in Britain. In 1990 he established, and became Director of, the Irish Studies Centre at St. Mary’s University College, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham.

JULIE O’HARE Secretary, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Britain Julie O’Hare, born in St Helen’s, has family roots in both Limerick and Mayo. She is a flute player and has been Secretary of Comhaltas na Breataine for the last two years.

EDDIE O’KANE Founder O’Kane Irish Foods Harrow-based Derry native Eddie O’Kane established O’Kane Irish Foods in Wembley in late 2003 to satisfy demand in Britain for branded Irish food products. You can now find a ‘Taste of Ireland’ section in over 400 British supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons, In 2006 YourIrishShop.com was set up online followed in 2012 by O’Kane Direct Ltd which provides supply to smaller retailers and the Irish pub trade in Britain. Customers include, Selfridges, Budgens, Londis, Nisa and Costcutter GERARD O’KEEFFE Head of GB Business AIB GB Gerard O’Keeffe is in charge of AIB’s business banking operation in Britain, Allied Irish Bank (GB), where it operates through a network of 21 branches across major cities in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as offering a number of direct banking channels for personal customers. Gerard graduated in law from University College Dublin; he also also holds qualifications from Cranfield University, Institute of Bankers of Ireland and the Institute of Taxation.

JOHN O’KEEFE Research scientist, University College London Professor John O’Keefe, with roots in Cork and Mayo, is a researcher in the field of neuroscience. He won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

DERMOT O’LEARY, Broadcaster Raised in Essex in an Irish family, Dermot O’Leary has gone on to become one of Britian’s most successful entertainment presenters. He is best known for his former role hosting ITV’s X Factor and his show on BBC Radio

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Two. Dermot, whose dad is from Co. Wexford, cites listening to Brendan Shine with his family — whose roots are in Wexford — as his formative experience in light entertainment.

BRENDAN O’MALLEY Managing Director & Owner Mulalley Group London-born Brendan O’Malley owns the Woodford Green-based Mulalley Group which works largely with public-sector clients across the southeast of England.

PÓL Ó MÓRÁIN Deputy Chair of the Advisory Board, School of Management University of Bradford As well as his work at the University of Bradford, Pól Ó Móráin is a member of Irish Government’s Export Trade Council and a board member of the Irish International Business Network (IIBN).

LEMBIT ÖPIK Director of Communications Motorcycle Action Group Born in Bangor, Co. Down to Estonian immigrants, Lembit Öpik served as Lib Dem MP from 1997 until 2010 for Montgomeryshire. He is currently Director of Communications at the Motorcycle Action Group.

DAVID O’REILLY Head of the UCD alumni chapter in Britain David O’Reilly from Rathfarnham a founder and Managing Director of Hampton Court Capital. He moved to Britain in 2003 and lives in London.

MAEVE O’ROURKE Barrister Thomas Bingham Chambers Killiney, Co. Dublin-born Maeve O’Rourke was called to the Bar in 2012. She is known for her tireless pro bono work with survivor advocacy group Justice for Magdalenes, which aims to secure compensation for survivors of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries. Educated in University College Dublin, she moved stateside in 2010 to study at Harvard Law School. She was the Jordan Publishing Family Law Awards 2013 Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year. She is currently a PhD Candidate at Birmingham Law School where her research focuses on older people and the rule against torture and ill-treatment in international law.

RAY O’ROURKE Executive Chairman Laing O’Rourke Ray O’Rourke KBE founded R O’Rourke & Son in 1977 following 10 years working and studying in the industry.

He remains the major shareholder in the group, which has become a major force in the British construction industry. He was the 2013 Irish Post Outstanding Contribution to Business Award-winner.

DANNY O’SULLIVAN Founder & Chairman Danny Sullivan Group The Danny Sullivan Group is one of the leading labour suppliers in London and the south-east. Danny came to London in the early 1970s aged 16, working for a number of years with John Murphy & Sons before forming his own company. He is a great supporter of charities, offering work as well as financial and medical assistance to young Irish people. He is a well-known GAA supporter.

FATHER TIM O’SULLIVAN VF Parish Priest, St Mary’s, Derby Fr O’Sullivan was born in Massachusetts, before moving, aged two months, to Kerry. He studied for the priesthood at Kilkenny College and was ordained in 1961 for the Diocese of Nottingham.

CLIONA O’TUAMA, Founder Cliona O’Tuama Solicitor Known as one of the leading experts on British-Irish tax planning, Cliona O’Tuama set up her own private law firm specialising in probate, tax and trusts work and charity law in 1994.

Cliona read law at University College Dublin. Cliona is founder and president of the Irish Solicitors Bar Association, which hosts an annual charity Autumn Ball.

CATHERINE ORPEN Managing Director Orpen Designs From Bere Island, Co. Cork, Catherine Orpen set up Orpen Designs in 2007. Prior to setting up the design/marketing company, she worked in design studios in New York and France.

BISHOP MARK O’TOOLE Bishop of Plymouth A former Private Secretary to Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, then Archbishop of Westminster, Bishop Mark O’Toole was born in London, with family roots in the west of Ireland.

P TOM PAULIN Poet, broadcaster and GM Young

Lecturer in English Literature at Hertford College Oxford Tom Paulin was born in Leeds, and brought up in Belfast.

He is popularly known for his appearances on the BBC arts programmes such as The Late Show.

GARETH PEIRCE Lawyer & Human rights Activist Gareth Peirce, who has received a Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad for 2015, is a British solicitor and human rights activist. In a career of more than 30 years, she has represented a number of high-profile cases, including the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six. LANCE PETITT Professor and Director of the Centre for Irish Studies St Mary’s University, Twickenham Lance Petitt is an Englishman but with long-established connections to Ireland, having studied in Dublin during the 1980s at University College Dublin.

OLIVER PEYTON Founder and Chairman Peyton & Byrne Ltd Mayo native Oliver Peyton came to Britain in 1979 to study textiles in Leicester and is now a renowned restaurateur and TV personality. Along with sister Siobhán, he is the man behind the Peyton and Byrne brand. He has been awarded an OBE for his services to the hospitality industry and is a judge on BBC2’s Great British Menu.

SIOBHÁN PEYTON Managing Director Peyton & Byrne Ltd Mayo-born Siobhán Peyton moved to Britain when she was 15 years old. She co-founded restaurant and café brand Peyton and Byrne in 2005 with her brother Oliver.

Their most recent café opened near the Lyric theatre in Hammersmith in April.

VINCE POWER Entertainment impresario From Kilthomas, Co. Waterford, John Vincent Power arrived in London aged 15, and ultimately became one of Britain’s major music impresarios through the Mean Fiddler Group. He is currently landlord of the Kensington Park Hotel pub in Notting Hill.

CHRISTIE POWER Manager Leeds Irish Centre Christie Power from Tipperary has been in Leeds for 43 years. He remains at the helm of Leeds Irish Centre, presiding over a membership in excess of 1,100.

SHAUN PREECE Manager Birmingham Irish Centre Englishman Shaun Preece has been manager of Birmingham Irish Centre, one of Britain’s most successful Irish centres, for the last six years. He lives in Birmingham.

PAUL PRICE Head of International Distribution Morgan Stanley Investment Management Having started his career with Bank of Ireland Paul Price is head of international sales at Morgan Stanley, overseeing the institutional and intermediary sales, consultant relations and business development teams in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. He is a graduate of Dublin City University and University College Dublin.

Q MICHAEL QUINN Owner & Director Kylemore Ltd

With over 30 years’ experience in the construction industry Michael Quinn is the owner and director of Kylemore Services Ltd with Eamon Lynam, who is also the founder of sister company, Quants Surveying Services LLP.

R PAUL REENAN Managing Director, John West Foods Paul Reenan has been Managing Director at John West Foods for the last five years. He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, and is based in Liverpool.

JARLETH REGAN Comedian & Broadcaster Jarlath Regan is an Irish comedian, writer and illustrator who has performed at international comedy festivals across the world including the Edinburgh, Montreal, Melbourne, New Zealand and Dubai. Now living in London he performs standup at clubs across Britain. In 2013 he created the award-winning Irishman Abroad podcast series. The collection of long form interviews with well-known Irish emigrants and people of Irish heritage has earned rave reviews and has featured the likes of Chris O’Dowd, Boy George, Dylan Moran, Lisa Hannigan and Graham Linehan. This year the show is

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recording a live episode monthly at The Museum Of Comedy in Covent Garden.

LOUISE RICHARDSON Principal & Vice Chancellor St Andrews Waterford-born Professor Louise Richardson is the first female principal of St. Andrews. She has been nominated to become Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford next year, the first female Vice-Chancellor since records began in 1230. Born in Ireland Professor Richardson holds a BA in History from Trinity College Dublin, an MA in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles as well as an MA and PhD in Government from Harvard University.

SIR GERRARD JUDE ROBINSON Business executive and television presenter Gerry Robinson born in Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal,

moved to England in his early teens. Former Chair/CEO of Granada and non-executive Chairman of Allied Domecq (amongst many other interests) he splits his time between west London and Raphoe, Donegal.

SIMONE ROCHA Fashion Designer Dublin-born Simone, daughter of fashion designer John Rocha, presented her first solo catwalk show in 2011. In August the award-winning designer opened her first independent boutique on London’s Mount Street.

MICHAEL ROCHE Senior Partner St James’s Place Wealth Management Michael Roche is a senior partner of St. James’s Place Wealth Management and has extensive experience in offering wealth management advice. St. James’s Place Wealth Management has funds under management amounting to £55.5billion. Brought up in Co. Carlow and educated at Newbridge College in Co. Kildare, is also a business columnist for The Irish Post.

ANDY ROGERS Consultant Director British Irish Chamber of Commerce A banker for 38 years, Sligo-born Andy Rogers is a retired General Manager of Bank of Ireland’s British operations with a long career in business and community affairs, having also been Chairman of the Irish International Business Network.

This year sees Andy take up the role of consultant director with the British Irish Chamber of Commerce where he will work to deepen the Chamber’s co-operation with like-minded organisations and stakeholders.

GERRY ROCHFORD Director Rochford Construction Ltd Founded in 1986, Gerry Rochford is one of the directors at Rochford who has helped steer the family-owned company to success. Founded in 1986 the firm has grown from a traditional paving contractor into a well-respected Groundworks RC Frames and Paving Contractor. The company secures 80 per cent of its work through repeat business and prides itself on taking a proactive approach to safety and training as it undertakes projects across the South East of England.

DERMOTT ROWAN Managing Director & Co-Owner Kiely Rowan Plc Dubliner Dermott Rowan is the managing director and co-owner of Kiely Rowan PLC, the company that owns fashion brand Orla Kiely and Olive & Orange. Londonbased with his wife fashion designer Orla Kiely, he is an expert in the field of fashion exporting.

CHRIS RUANE Community leader & former MP Chris Ruane is the former chair of Westminster’s All Party Parliamentary Group for the Irish in Britain where he led campaigns on behalf of the Irish community at political level. The former Labour MP lost his seat in the Vale of Clwyd constituency in Wales in this year’s General Election having held the constituency since it was formed in 1997. He is the son of an Irish navvy, with family roots in Co. Galway. Among the many campaigns he has supported was Irish in Britain’s Cuimhne: Dementia challenge.

PAUL RUDDLE Founding partner of PMM Partners From Newcastle, Co. Down, Paul Ruddle was Managing Director in Equities at UBS Investment Bank until 2006. He then co-founded PMM Partners, a real estate investment and advisory business.

KAREN RYAN Musician, Teacher & Promoter Karen Ryan with roots in Galway and Mayo, is Director and co-founder of Return to Camden Town Festival and Irish Music and Dance in London (IMDL). She is also co-founder of The London Lasses.

S NADIM SADEK Entrepreneur

TELEVISION PRESENTER: Laura Whitmore

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Nadim Sadek is a British-based, Irish-Egyptian marketingentrepreneur. He was educated at St Columba’s College in Dublin and Trinity College.

ANGELA SCANLON TV Presenter, Journalist & Stylist Dublin-born but London-based Angela Scanlon is currently fronting holiday programme Getaways (RTÉ / BBC) and has recently been announced digital host for The Voice UK on the BBC. Named One To Watch by Vogue last year Angela hosted the main stage at London Fashion Weekend — a job she took over from Caroline Flack. Over the past couple of years she has interviewed a whole host of personalities including Kanye West, Christian Louboutin,

Bob Geldof, Chris O’Dowd and more.

ANNE MARIE SCANLON Journalist & Writer Anne Marie Scanlon, born in Donegal but grew up in Dublin, is a freelance writer, working with print and broadcast media. Her subjects include travel, books, celebrity gossip, plays, movies, and beauty products.

JOHN SCANLON General Manager, 45 Park Lane John Scanlon became general manager of 45 Park Lane — home to CUT, Wolfgang Puck’s debut restaurant in Europe — in May having been revenue manager at sister hotel, the Dorchester, since 2012. He is a graduate of the Shannon College of Hotel Management.

MARIA SCHWEPPE Arts & Comedy Producer Maria Schweppe, educated at the University of Ulster, moved to London in 2010. She is the founder of the London Irish Comedy Festival.

SEAN SEXTON Founding Partner MSB Solicitors With Irish roots in Clare and Kilkenny Sean is one of the founding partners of MSB. He is one of the few solicitors to appear as an advocate in the European Court of Human Rights.

LIZ SHANAHAN Co-founder & Executive Chair, Reconfiguration and Engagement Partners Ltd A serial investor and entrepreneur, Liz Shanahan co-founded Reconfiguration and Engagement Partners Ltd in April, working primarily with management consultants in the healthcare provider arena. A Kerry native, she lives in London and is also co-chair of the Irish International Business Network.

PADDY SHANAHAN Co-founder & Operations Director Ground Construction Ltd Born in Tipperary and educated in Kilkenny, Paddy co-founded Ground Construction Ltd, which is rated as one of the top 12 concrete frame contractors in Britain. It currently owns plants valued at over £14million.

TOMMY SHEPPARD MP (SNP) Edinburgh East Born in Coleraine, Tommy Sheppard graduated from Aberdeen University in 1977. After an 11 year sojourn in London, he returned to Scotland to found the Stand Comedy Club. He has been an MP since May. DES SHIELDS Chief Executive Aspen Healthcare Originally from Donegal Des Shields is the chief executive of Aspen Healthcare, offering patients a range of private healthcare and clinical services. Aspen reached the finalist stage in the forthcoming LaingBuisson Awards 2015.

PROFESSOR PETER SHIRLOW Director and Blair Chair, Institute of Irish Studies University of Liverpool Professor Peter Shirlow from Rosetta, Belfast, took up his chair earlier this year. He has published more than 80 dissertations on the politics of conflict. He lives in Liverpool.

FRANK SHOVLIN Head of Department at the Institute of Irish Studies University of Liverpool Frank Shovlin, originally from Donegal, has been at the Institute of Irish Studies since 2000. As well as being Head of Department, he is Senior Lecturer of Irish Literature in English at University of Liverpool.

PETER SLATTERY Head of Corporate Business, Allied Irish Bank Plc (UK) Waterford-born Peter’s career with AIB began in Dublin in 1970. The Twickenham-based rugby fan became a lending manager in London in 1981 before moving up the ranks where he is now head of corporate business.

BARBARA STANLEY Founder Barbara Stanley Gallery Barbara’s interest in art began in the West of Ireland. She established the Barbara Stanley Gallery in 2002 and promotes the work of Irish artists while providing a consultancy service to collectors.

PETER SUTHERLAND Businessman Born in Dublin, Peter Sutherland was chairman of Goldman Sachs International until June 2015. He is also a former BP chairman. In 1985 he became the youngest ever European Commissioner. He lives in London.

T LEAH TOTTON Director & Co-owner Dr Leah

Cosmetic Clinics The 2013 winner of The Apprentice Cosmetic doctor Leah Totton is now London-based where she heads up Dr Leah Cosmetic Clinics. She is originally from Derry in the North of Ireland. She has trained in Harley Street and

previously worked for the NHS. PHILIP TREACY Milliner & Founder Philip Treacy Ltd Galway-born, internationally renowned milliner Philip Treacy is a five-time winner of the British Accessory Designer of the Year and has received an OBE for his services to the British Fashion Industry.

JACK TROW Chair Irish Heritage Foundation Scotland Jack Trow’s Irish bloodline tracks back to his great grandparents from Co. Down and Co. Antrim. The Heritage Foundation celebrates Irish heritage and culture in Scotland.

JILL TULLY Vice-chair London Irish Business Society Jill Tully has been Vice-chair with the London Irish Business Society since January, having been with the organisation since 2010. She is also Senior Analyst at Statoil.

W FERGUS WALSH BBC Radio presenter & Journalist

Fergus Walsh was born in Leicester to Irish parents. He has been the BBC’s medical correspondent since 2006, and has won several awards for medical journalism, particularly commended for making health issues accessible to the public.

LOUIS WALSH Entertainment Impresario TV Personality Mayo native Louis Walsh is the undisputed king of the Irish pop scene. He is the man behind some of the most successful bands in pop history, masterminding the careers of Boyzone, Westlife, Samantha Mumba, Girls Aloud, Shayne Ward, Wonderland and Jedward. The fact that he has achieved over a staggering 28 No.1 hits is a testament to his success and is one of the reasons why the former long-serving X Factor judge is one of the most respected names in the music industry today. He is a 2015 Irish Post Award-winner for Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment Industry.

MICHAEL WALSH Managing Director Head of Foreign Exchange Sales Alpha Clients at Lloyds Banking Group A former Civil Law student at University College Cork,

Michael Walsh is head of foreign exchange sales at Lloyds.

He is also a trusted advisor to macro hedge funds, CTAs and other NBFIs. MICHAEL WALSH Author Fellow at Heythrop College, University of London Michael Walsh has family roots in Co. Cork. He writes on mainly religious matters, and his book A Pilgrim’s Guide to Rome, has just been published.

OLLIE WALSH GAA & Community organiser Ollie Walsh left his native Athenry in 1962, has championed the GAA in Huddersfield for over 40 years, holding various positions in the Brothers Pearse GAA club.

WILLIE WALSH CEO International Airlines Group Dublin-born Willie Walsh is the Chief Executive Officer of IAG, the parent company for British Airways, Iberia, Air Lingus and Vueling and one of the industry leaders in environmental performance. The Dublin-born man is a former Aer Lingus pilot.

STANLEY WATSON Partner Matheson Dublin-born Stanley Watson is one of Ireland’s leading private equity and corporate lawyers and head of Matheson’s London. He advises a multitude of public and private bodies on all aspects of corporate governance.

BRIAN WHELAN Artist Celebrated painter Brian Whelan is a second-generation Irishman — his father was from Dublin, his mother from Kilkenny. He now lives in East Anglia. Brian’s work has been exhibited extensively. Since 2013, he and his American wife, Wendy Roseberry, have split their time between the Waterford Studio in Virginia, Britain and Ireland. 2015 has been devoted to Brian’s ‘The Passion of Edith Cavell’ exhibition, a commission from Norwich Cathedral.

LAURA WHITMORE Television Presenter Born in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Laura Whitmore is based in London for MTV Europe. She has also presented I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! on ITV2.

In October she launched a collaboration with Daisy Jewellery borne out of Laura’s passion for music. The new collection features the recurring shape of the plectrum throughout.

CATHERINE WILEY Founder Catholic Grandparents’ Association Catherine Wiley, from Castlebar in Mayo, founded the Catholic Grandparents’ Association in 2009. Catherine, who left Ireland aged 15, now splits her time between Walsingham, Norfolk and Westport.

JOHN WILSON Managing Director Farrans Construction A graduate of the University of Ulster, John Wilson has been with Farrans Construction for 27 years. In 2005, John created Farrans’ Healthcare Division.

SIR TERRY WOGAN Radio and television broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan, from Limerick, began broadcasting with RTÉ. However his career flourished in Britain with several programmes (radio and television) mostly on the BBC. He hosted a Radio 2 breakfast show, Wake Up To Wogan from 1993 to 2009 which regularly attrracted over eight million listeners. He has garnered enormous praise for his long-running hosing of the Eurovision Song Contest and helped raise a billion pounds for Children In Need over the past 35 years. In October his first fiction book called Those Were the Days was published. He lives in Buckinghamshire.

WILLIAM WRIGHT Founder Wrightbus Led by William Wright, The Wright Group’s originality and cutting edge technology has driven its success after the North of Ireland-based Wright family recognised that buses needed to be both passenger friendly and capable of serving all the community, from young parents with children and buggies to the elderly and handicapped. In 1993, The Wright Group was the first British manufacturer to design, develop and market a fully accessible low floor public bus. Notable milestones include the launch of the world’s first hybrid-electric double deck at London’s City Hall in 2006.

HENRY WYMBS Producer & Presenter BBC Radio Oxford and Berkshire From Cliffoney, Co. Sligo, Henry Wymbs joined Oxford City Police in 1967, and retired as Detective Inspector in 1997. He presents Irish Eye on Sunday afternoons.

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35 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

INDEX Page 20 STELLA ADAMS BRIAN ARNOLD CONAL AUSTIN DAVID BAOL HUGH BEATIE JACKIE BELTRAO PROFESSOR JIM BENNETT ROSALEEN BLAIR PAT BOURNE DANNY BOYLE ADRIAN BRADY ANGELA BRADY ENDA BRADY KARREN BRADY BRENDIE BRIEN SEAN BROGAN BOB BROLLY JEREMY BROWNE CANON PAT BROWNE MONSIGNOR PAT BROWNE JEREMY BROWNLEE ALAN BURKE SIMON BURKE PAT BUTLER JAMES BURKE LOUIS BURKE CONOR BURNS BISHOP TOM BURNS MICHAEL BYRNE ROSE CALDWELL PATRICK CALLAGHAN DUNCAN CAMPBELL FRANCIS MARTIN-XAVIER CAMPBELL BISHOP MICHAEL CAMPBELL EMMA CANNING THE CAREY FAMILY Page 22-23 MARK CARRIGAN BOB CASEY CATHERINA CASEY DERMOT CASEY THE CLANCY FAMILY MARY CLANCY CATHY CLUGSTON JAMES COFFEY DERVLA COGAN ETTA COHEN OBE DAVID COLLINS DECLAN COLLIER BRIAN COMER LUKE COMER EAMON CONNEELY ANDREW COPPEL BREON CORCORAN RICHARD CORRIGAN DR JOHN COSTELLO PAUL COSTELLOE FRANK COTRELL-BOYCE MIKE de COURCEY MICK CROSSAN SINEAD CROWLEY BISHOP SÉAMUS CUNNINGHAM DENNIS CURRAN

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DAVID D’ALTON ALAN DAVIS TREVOR DIVINEY MARINA DONOHOE DANNY DOHERTY MARTIN DOLPHIN PADDY DONNELLY CLARE DUFFY DEREK DUFFY PROF EAMON DUFFY KARL DUFFY RONAN DUNNE BERNARD DWYER JACKY DWYER JOHN DWYER RICHARD EARDLEY CIARAN FAHY LIAM FAHY CANON THOMAS FARRELL ROSS FINEGAN GARY FITZGERALD NIALL FITZGERALD KEVIN FITZPATRICK NOEL FITZPATRICK SEAN FITZPATRICK Page 24 LIZ FLANNELLY GERRY FLYNN JOHN FOLEY PAUL FURLONG CECILIA GALLAGHER DONAL GALLAGHER DÓNAL GALLAGHER KEVIN GALLAGHER NIALL GALLAGHER T. GALLAGHER-MURPHY KATHLEEN GARRETT CONOR GEARTY BOB GELDOF BASIL GEOGHEGAN ROBIN GILL ALAN GLEESON RORY GODSON MICHAEL GOOLEY JONATHAN GREY ORLA GUERIN PATRICK HARTE MARY HEANEY AIDAN HEAVEY SEÁN HACKETT CHARLES HANDY NOELETTE HANLEY ANT HANLON FELICITY HAYES-McCOY BLÁTHNAID HEALY COLIN HEGARTY MICHAEL HEGARTY TONY HENNIGAN Pages 26-27 RICHARD HENRY MARY HICKMAN KATE HOEY FINBAR HOLIAN EAMONN HOLMES SHARON HORGAN

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TOMMY HUTCHINSON CHRIS KANE CLLR. PAT KARNEY MARY KAYE FERGAL KEANE GERRY KEANY MARTHA KEARNEY PETER KEARNEY MICHAEL KEAVENEY LOUISE KEEGAN COLM KELLEHER JOE KELLIHER COLIN KELLY PROFESSOR JOHN KELLY HENRY KELLY RUTH KELLY TIM KELLY THE KELLY FAMILY PROFESSOR RALPH KENNA LOUISE KENNEDY HARRY KEOGH STEPHEN KEOGH BRENDAN KERR ANDY KERMAN MIKE KIELY ORLA KIELY PAT KING HOWARD KINGSTON MICHAEL KINGSTON KEVIN LAGAN MICHAEL LANDY VALERIE LAWLOR JOHN LEAHY TERRY LEAHY EDDIE LINDEN DESMOND LYNAM EAMON LYNAM JOE LYNAM LIAM LYNCH MICHAEL LYNCH BISHOP PATRICK LYNCH COLM LYON ANNIE MAC SINEAD MAC LUA RONAN MAGUIRE DESMOND MAGUIRE Page 28 GARETH MALONE MAURICE MALONE VANESSA MARKEY MAURICE MARTIN TIMOTHY RANDALL MARTIN SEAN MASTERSON MAXINE MAWHINNEY PROF MARY McALEESE CAROLYN McCALL KATE McCARTHY SIMON McCARTHY TONY McDAID SEAN McDONAGH ALEX McDONNELL BERNARD McEVOY SEAMUS McGARRY FR EUGENE McGILLYCUDDY CONOR McGINN JOHN McGRANE

THE McGRATH FAMILY PETER McGRATH DONAL McINTYRE GERALDINE McKENNA MARY McKENNA NORMAN McKINLEY BISHOP PATRICK McKINNEY KEVIN McLOUGHLIN JAMES McMAHON SIR DAVID McMURTRY PADDY McNALLY PETER McNULTY JENNIE McSHANNON PROFESSOR JOHN MITCHELL Page 30 TOM MITCHELL PHILIP MORROW MARTIN MOCKLER MICHAEL MORAN TOMMY MORAN DANIEL MULHALL PETER MULLEN JOE MULLIGAN ADRIAN MULRYAN SEAN MULRYAN DR GERARD MURPHY HUGH P MURPHY MARY MURPHY MIKE MURPHY STEPHEN MURPHY PAT MURHPY PATRICK MURPHY CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O’CONNOR TONY MURRAY MICHAEL NEVIN DENIS NOLAN GRAHAM NORTON JOHN NUGENT DAMON OLDCORN GERRY O’BOYLE DARA Ó BRIAIN DARRAGH O’BRIEN EDNA O’BRIEN THOMAS O’BRIEN DEIRDRE O’BYRNE BRIAN O’CONNELL DANIEL O’CONNELL SEAN O’CONNOR KELLY O’CONNOR BERNARD O’DOHERTY Page 32 PAUL O’DONNELL JACQUELINE O’DONOVAN SEAN O’DRISCOLL DERMOT O’GRADY FRANCES O’GRADY JIM O’HARA JULIE O’HARE EDDIE O’KANE GERARD O’KEEFFE JOHN O’KEEFE DERMOT O’LEARY BRENDAN O’MALLEY PÓL Ó MÓRÁIN

LEMBIT ÖPIK DAVID O’REILLY MAEVE O’ROURKE RAY O’ROURKE CATHERINE ORPEN DANNY O’SULLIVAN FATHER TIM O’SULLIVAN CLIONA O’TUAMA BISHOP MARK O’TOOLE TOM PAULIN GARETH PEIRCE LANCE PETITT OLIVER PEYTON SIOBHÁN PEYTON VINCE POWER CHRISTIE POWER SHAUN PREECE PAUL PRICE MICHAEL QUINN PAUL REENAN JARLETH REGAN Pages 34-35 LOUISE RICHARDSON SIR GERRARD JUDE ROBINSON SIMONE ROCHA MICHAEL ROCHE ANDY ROGERS GERRY ROCHFORD DERMOTT ROWAN CHRIS RUANE PAUL RUDDLE KAREN RYAN NADIM SADEK ANGELA SCANLON ANNE MARIE SCANLON JOHN SCANLON MARIA SCHWEPPE SEAN SEXTON LIZ SHANAHAN PADDY SHANAHAN TOMMY SHEPPARD DES SHIELDS PROF PETER SHIRLOW FRANK SHOVLIN PETER SLATTERY BARBARA STANLEY PETER SUTHERLAND LEAH TOTTON PHILIP TREACY JACK TROW JILL TULLY FERGUS WALSH LOUIS WALSH MICHAEL WALSH MICHAEL WALSH OLLIE WALSH WILLIE WALSH STANLEY WATSON BRIAN WHELAN LAURA WHITMORE CATHERINE WILEY JOHN WILSON SIR TERRY WOGAN WILLIAM WRIGHT HENRY WYMBS

IN BUSINESS CONTACTS ARTS & CULTURE Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Comhaltas na Breataine, St Michael’s Irish Centre, 6 Boundary Lane, Liverpool L6 5JG Tel: 0151 264 7437 Web: www.comhaltas.co.uk Chairman of the Provincial Council of Britain: Michael Nevin Irish Heritage 30 Pine Grove, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 9AW Email: contact@irishheritage.co.uk Web: www.irishheritage.co.uk Chairman: Niall Gallagher Irish Literary Society The Bloomsbury Hotel, 16-22 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3NN Web: www.irishlitsoc.org Email: irishlitsoc@gmail.com President: Bernard O’Donoghue

BUSINESS Bord Bia First Floor, 201 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5AB Tel: 020 7307 3555 Web: www.bordbia.ie Director of Markets: Michael Murphy British Irish Chamber of Commerce COBCOE, Sceptre Court 40 Tower Hill, London EC3N 4DX Web: www.britishirishchamber.com Email: info@britishirishchamber.com Tel: 075 6814 2698 Consultant Directors: Brian O’Connell, Andy Rogers, David D’Alton British Advisory Board Chairman: Richard Eardley, Managing Director, Hays Ireland and Marketing Director Hays, UK & Ireland Enterprise Ireland 2nd Floor, Shaftesbury House, 151 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8AL Tel: 020 7438 8700 Web: www.enterprise-ireland.com Director UK and Northern Europe: Marina Donohoe IDA Ireland Shaftesbury House, 151 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8AL Tel: 020 7379 9728 Web: www.idaireland.com VP of Business Development: Michelle Conaghan Tourism Ireland 103 Wigmore St, London W1U 1QS Tel: 020 7518 0800 Web: www.tourismireland.com Head of Great Britain: Vanessa Markey

CHARITY & WELFARE Co-operation Ireland GB Windy Ridge, Courtlands Hill, Pangbourne RG8 7BE Tel: 01189 767 790 | 07745745342 Web: www.cooperationireland.org Executive Director: Mike Murphy icap Immigrant Counselling and Psychotherapy, 96 Moray Road, Finsbury Park, London, N4 3LA Tel: (London) 020 7272 7906 | (Birmingham) 0121 6667707 Web: www.icap.org.uk Founder and Honorary President: Teresa Gallagher Irish Youth Foundation (UK) 26-28 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 7HA Tel: 020 8748 9640 Web: www.iyf.org.uk Chairman: John Dwyer Head of Operations: Linda Tanner The Ireland Fund of Great Britain 2nd floor, Wigglesworth House, 69 Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HH Tel: 0207 9409 850 Web: www.irelandfund.org Managing Director: Mark Carrigan Financial Controller: Sean Henderson

COMMUNITY Birmingham Irish Association St Anne’s Parish Centre, Alcester Street, Deritend, Birmingham B12 0PH Tel: 0121 604 6111 Web: www.birminghamirish.org.uk Chief Executive: Maurice Malone Consulate General of Ireland to Scotland 16 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh EH3 7TT Tel: 0131 2267711 W: www.irishconsulatescotland.co.uk Consul General of Ireland to Scotland: Pat Bourne Embassy of Ireland, London 17 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7HR Tel: 020 7235 2171 Web: www.embassyofireland.co.uk Passport Office: 114a Cromwell Road, London SW7 4ES Tel: 0207 373 4339 Irish Ambassador to Britain: Dan Mulhall Irish in Britain Head Office: 356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA Tel: 020 7697 4081 Web: www.irishinbritain.org Midlands: Room 104 Keys Court, 82-84 Moseley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B12 0RT Tel: 0121 622 4169 Chief Executive: Peter McNulty (from

November 2) Chair: Patrick Morrison Irish Diaspora Foundation - Irish World Heritage Centre 1 Irish Town Way, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M8 0AE Tel: 0161 205 4007 Web: www.iwhc.com Chairman: Michael Forde Irish Heritage Foundation, Scotland 126 Calder Street, Govanhill, Glasgow G42 7QP Tel: 0141 424 0465 Chairman: Jack Trow The Irish Post 88 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 4BY Tel: 020 8900 4137 Web: www.irishpost.co.uk Publisher: Elgin Loane Editor: Siobhán Breatnach Deputy Editor: Fiona Audley Digital Editor: Katy Harrington Sports Editor: Jamie Casey

EDUCATION & ALUMNI Centre for Irish Studies, St Mary’s University College Waldegrave Road, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, London TW1 4SX Tel: 020 8240 4008 Web: www.smuc.ac.uk/irish-studies Course Director: Professor Lance Pettitt Professor Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland, will begin her role as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Irish Studies in January 2016.

Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool 1 Abercromby Square, Liverpool L69 7WY Tel: 0151 794 2393 Web: www.liv.ac.uk/irish-studies Director and Blair Chair: Dr Peter Shirlow Irish Studies Centre, London Metropolitan University 166 - 220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB Email: t.murray@londonmet.ac.uk Director: Dr. Tony Murray UCC (London) Facebook and Twitter @uccalumnilondon Email: alumnilondon@umail.ucc.ie Chair: Antoinette Jordan UCD (London) Facebook and LinkedIn groups Email: david.oreilly@hamptoncourt capital.com Contact: David O’Reilly, Managing Director at Hampton Court Capital Trinity College Dublin Association London Web: www.tcdlondon.co.uk Email: chairman@TCDLondon.co.uk Chair: June Rodgers

NETWORKS All-Party Parliament Party Group on the Irish in Britain House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 6378 Chair: Conor McGinn MP Irish International Business Network IIBN Global Head Office and IIBN UK, 2ndFloor, 15 Greycoat Place, London SW1P 1SB Web: www.iibn.com Tel: 020 3239 3158 Email: info@iibn.com Executive Director: Sinéad Crowley London Irish Business Society Web: www.li-bs.co.uk Email: info@li-bs.co.uk Chair: Karl Duffy, BT Global Services The London Irish Construction Network Suite 310B, East Wing, Sterling House, Langston House, Loughton IG10 3TS Tel: 07836748231 Email: info@tlicn.com Web: www.tlicn.com Chair: Frank O’Hare, Doveguard Construction Ltd London Irish Graduate Network Web: www. londonirishgraduatenetwork.com Email: sean.oregan@londonirish graduatenetwork.com Director: Sean O’Regan, Goldman Sachs London Irish Lawyers Association LinkedIn Co-chair: Gráinne Mellon Women’s Irish Network Web: www.womensirishnetwork.com Chair: Cecelia Gallagher

SPORT London Irish Rugby Football Club Hazelwood, Croysdale Avenue Green Street, Sunbury-on-Thames Middlesex TW16 6QU Tel: 01932 750 100 Web: www.london-irish.com Chief Executive Officer: Bob Casey President: Mick Crossan Rugby Chairman: Kieran McCarthy Provincial Council of Britain GAA Páirc na hÉireann, Catherine-de-Barnes Lane, Solihull B92 0DB Tel: 077 99 763 596 Web: www.britain.gaa.ie President: Seán Hackett

37 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

Art house

A recovering economy and a renewed international interest in Ireland’s creative talent, sees the return of the Sotheby’s Irish Art Sale after a four-year hiatus. NEMESHA BALASUNDARAM reports

T

he celebrated relaunch of Sotheby’s Irish Art Sale in London has been hailed the best quality sale to happen in years.

Loyal collectors from both Ireland and around the world came together to mark the 20th anniversary year of the international auction house’s first ever dedicated offering of Ireland’s finest works.

A rich variety of work from leading figures integral to the history of Irish art, including William Orpen, Jack Butler Yeats and other prominent artists of the 20th century were auctioned in the English capital on October 21.

Amongst the collection of works in the 71-lot sale were a number of hidden gems, including a stunning John Lavery portrait Alice on Sultan, Tangier.

Offered on the market for the first time in its history, the sale of the Belfast-born artist’s portrait of his young stepdaughter riding a horse in Morocco, at a time when motor transport remained relatively rare, was one of the sale’s highlights.

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William Orpen, Nude Girl Reading “It’s been in the family ever since it was painted, it’s come through descent,” says Arabella Bishop, Head of Sotheby’s Ireland. “It’s lovely because it’s never been on the market before so that’s a fantastic lot.”

Ms Bishop believes that paintings such as these, along with a recovering Irish economy and an improving market for Irish art, makes 2015 an exciting time to relaunch the Irish Art Sale after its four-year hiatus.

“We first introduced Irish Art Sales 20 years ago, and then in 2011 we combined doing British and Irish sales because the market had changed slightly since 2008,” she adds.

“We felt the time is right to reintroduce them, the economy is picking up but it’s not just that, we’ve

a broader international interest in Irish art as well.

In fact last year over 70 per cent of our buyers actually came from outside Ireland, quite a few diaspora I would have thought.”

Whilst the prices for work by some Irish artists fell during the economic downturn, sales of paintings by ‘blue-chip’ artists such as Lavery, Roderic O’Conor, Orpen and Yeats remained relatively stable.

“Someone like Paul Henry who had three pieces in the sale buckled that trend and since 2008 his prices are probably more than they were during the boom times,” she says.

A plethora of top quality paintings have also inspired the return of the dedicated Irish sale, and with 16 years of experience at the helm of

FEATURED ARTIST GOTTFRIED HELNWEIN

I

rish-Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein paintings shock, awe, attract and repel. Children are at the centre of the artist’s work from his earliest 1960s street performances to his more recent ‘bloodied’ portraits. Growing up on post-war Austria Helnwein was shocked by the horror of what had happened during the Nazi reign and continued to be shocked and enraged by a mixture of denial to the horrors that had been committed then and the continuing trend of such horrors in different guises, child abuse, greed, imperialism, militarism. His paintings — such as The Murmur of the Innocents 45 above which is estimated at a value of £30,000-£50,000 by Sotheby’s — are concerned with suffering. Having been brought up in a strict Roman Catholic family in Austria, Gottfried moved to Germany in 1985 with his wife Renate. A decade later they set up home with their family in Ireland in the Tipperary village of Kilsheelan.

‘

You don’t picture Lavery as just being Irish, because of his Scottish roots, but the imagery is very much international, it’s museum quality work

Sir John Lavery, Japanese Switzerland

John Behan, Cu Chulainn

39 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

Jack Butler Yeats, The Talkers

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auctioning Irish art, Ms Bishop pinpoints some of the sale’s star attractions with the greatest global appeal.

Lavery’s Japanese Switzerland – an oil on panel piece of Wengen in Bernese Oberland after a heavy snowfall in November 1912 – was expected to fetch a top price of £500,000 at the auction.

Having most recently been on loan at the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, Ms Bishop said that she had not seen a picture of that quality come up for sale in recent years.

2,000,000

The price in pounds of the most expensive piece ever sold at a Sotheby’s Irish Art Sale

1995

The year of the first ever dedicated sale of Irish art

71

The number of lots featured at this year’s auction

11

The highest number of paintings by any one artist at the auction, Jack Butler Yeats

0

The number of times John Lavery’s portrait Alice on Sultan, Tangier has previously been on the market

“You don’t picture Lavery as just being Irish, because of his Scottish roots, but the imagery is very much international,” she says. “It’s museum quality work.”

Similarly, Dublin native Orpen’s Nude Girl Reading — described as one of his most erotically charged works — captured the image of his mistress Yvonne in the early 1920s and carries a price tag in the same range.

Although both pieces are priced at half a million pounds, the most expensive Irish painting to date sold by Sotheby’s at a dedicated Irish sale ➤

41 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

was Orpen’s Portrait of Gardenia that sold just shy of £2million, more than double its estimated price, in 2001.

The auction house’s location in the English capital, coupled with a broader audience with the inclusion of a range of work by contemporary artists, has made this year’s Irish Art Sale a lucrative and exciting event.

“We’re very lucky holding the sales in London because we have such a good footfall, often people walk past the picture and fall in love with the picture itself, rather than knowing who the artist is and collecting it simply because it’s an Irish artist,” Ms Bishop adds.

Basil Blackshaw’s Grand National-inspired piece and a portrait by Patrick Swift – an ex-flatmate of artist Lucien Freud – of his brother, are two of the more modern pieces on offer to a shifting audience.

“With contemporary artists it’s a good entry level, as I say it broadens our audience,” she says.

“The contemporary side was more affected during the downturn but with it now internationally doing extremely well there are some artists amongst that that are on the international platform as well. It’s great to have early 20th century work right through to the present day.”

A

lice Maher emerged in the early ’90s as one of a generation of artists who lived through startling changes in the fabric of Irish society.

Her multi-faceted work has both tested and reflected that changing fabric ever since. In 2007 she embarked on a series of densely patterned charcoal drawings with the collective title of Bestiary.

These large works were inspired by a close study of one of her favourite paintings of all time, The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymous Bosch.

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Photo: Cliona O’Flaherty

FEATURED ARTIST ALICE MAHER

John Behan, Rod Bull

This image embodied for her the meeting of Medieval and Modern, of fantastical and quotidian, a confluence which is emblematic of her own practice as well as a reflection her changing society.

Maher, who was born in 1956 in Tipperary, took certain details from Bosche’s scene of carnal, vegetal and mineral communion and made of these details, silhouettes of negative space.

Into these negative profiles she introduced a whole plethora of decorative motifs from antique as well as from everyday sources, all hand drawn, all

retaining the evidence of the artists labour in their dark rain of charcoal dust.

In Union, pictured above, we are presented with Adam and Eve, from the creation panel of the famous painting.

But in Maher’s version of the scene, the Creator is not visible, and the first lovers come together as one silhouette, united by a latticework of teratomorphic creatures and patterns.

Alice Maher’s Union is estimated to fetch between £4,000-£6,000 at the Sotheby’s Irish Art Sale.

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Nathan Adams, Model

From Twitter and Facebook to Instagram, the digital revolution has created an alternative career path for the next generation.

JAMES MULHALL meets three of the new...

Social climbers 47 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

Nathan Adams

I

NSTAGRAM turned five this October and the picture sharing app is growing bigger than ever.

The site is used by celebrities, businesses and budding bloggers alike having proved itself as a great way to connect with people.

But for some, like Cork’s Nathan Adams, it can also launch a lucrative career.

The 20-year-old fell into modelling after taking part in a charity fashion show in Ireland, where his potential was quickly spotted by a local agent.

He was signed by Lockdown and his career soon took off — but it was Instagram that really allowed his star to rise.

“I started modelling with Lockdown and did a bit of work with RTÉ, then got scouted by Assets agency,” he explains. “They represented me for seven months and I was scouted through my Instagram account.”

Before long, agents across Ireland were battling to have Nathan on their books – and he eventually signed with AR Model Agency, run by Irish model Andrea Roche.

Here in Britain, he is signed to W Athletic in London and has continued to combine his love of sport with his passion for modelling.

“I love shooting fashion but I really loved the sports shoots,” he says. “The clothes are easier to model and I get such enjoyment out of it.”

Nathan’s work with W Athletic has even seen him attend casting calls with sporting giants Adidas and Nike.

His Belfast-born parents have been supportive of his career from the start, he says – even though it’s not an easy industry to crack.

“They are delighted for me,” he says.

“They’ve very supportive and they know how stressful it all is going to castings.”

Nathan combines gym work with his club hurling career to keep his figure in shape — playing corner forward for Blackrock in Cork.

His hurling suffered in the early days of modelling but he was determined to balance work and play and not sacrifice either his favourite pastime or his blossoming career.

When Nathan found himself unable to make training sessions and matches he knew things had to change.

“At the start of the year I was so busy it felt strange to play hurling,” he says. “I said to myself ‘Find a way to get your head around this. You need to find a way to make the effort and not come home tired’.”

Since striking that balance, Nathan has been able to cement his place with his club in between shoots, delighting his loyal followers on Instagram with pictures from both the catwalk and the pitch.

Instagram: @NathanAdams95

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Conor Collins

C

ONOR COLLINS is a Manchester-based artist who came to his craft by way of a broken heart.

Born in Kent to parents from counties Cork and Kerry, the 26-year-old’s artistry did not take over his life until he was almost finished university, and he has a failed love to thank for it.

“I started painting in my third year of uni,” he says. “I first started because I fell in love with an artist and wanted to paint just to have an excuse to hang out with them. When the feelings were inevitably not reciprocated I didn’t quit painting — I started painting more than ever.”

Conor’s talent and work soon caught the eye of art enthusiasts. But it was social media that really allowed his career take off.

“Twitter is utterly priceless. You tweet something and your followers see it. If they retweet it their followers see it,” he says. “Before long over a million people have seen your one single post that you may have initially shown only a few hundred people.”

Cian Twomey

F

ACEBOOK vloggers are a dime a dozen — so to stand out from the crowd, you really need to know how to entertain.

Luckily, Cork man Cian Twomey has entertainment in his blood, having picked up his natural ability to make people laugh from his late father.

“I’m like his double, my personality is exactly like his was,” the 21-year-old says. “He always told me to look into the entertainment business. He died in 2011 and I started thinking about giving it a go.”

And give it a go he did.

He has been uploading videos to his Facebook page since 2013 but it was earlier this year when a certain character he created took the internet by storm.

‘Emily’ is a fictitious version of Cian’s real-life girlfriend, also named Emily.

Cian started putting out short comedy videos on the various arguments between the on-screen Cian and Emily — and Emily soon became a viral sensation.

Having begun the year with a few thousand followers, the Facebook star now has 3million likes — and that number is growing rapidly.

“I sometimes forget that they are actual people,” he jokes. “It’s very strange to think that many people watch my videos.”

In theory, one would imagine his girlfriend would be less than impressed with this viral version of her.

The video Emily is paranoid and almost psychotic — and Cian suffers her wrath.

But the real life Emily could not be further removed from the video version — and even helps Cian devise the ideas.

“She comes up with the ideas herself” he says. “She loves the videos. She will give me an idea and I’ll work out a conversation between Cian and the video Emily.”

Earlier this year, Cian went full-time with his video making — and the real Emily has even begun to dabble with Facebook vlogging, with her make-up page Contour n’ More amassing 150,000 likes on the back of her following among Cian’s fans.

And while she grows her page, Cian’s massive audience has stirred rumours that he may be up for a television deal in Britain — though he is coy about confirming or denying this.

“It’s a really weird job to have,” he admits. “But it’s great, I love it.”

Mr Cian Twomey

And while Twitter gets his name and his works of art out there, it also provides the for inspiration for some of his pieces.

Earlier this year, former Olympian and reality television star Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner came out to the world as transgender. While the majority of public commentary on Jenner’s transition was positive, the negativity crept in on social media.

And it was after a few drinks one night when Conor, after reading those nasty remarks, decided to turn them into something positive.

“I was following what was happening with Caitlyn and started seeing a lot of dark tweets,” he says.

“Some of them were really beyond dark and just disturbing. I wanted to show people the iconic

image of Caitlyn but also highlight this side of society.”

The speed at which the Jenner portrait took off proves testament to the power of social media.

That portrait alone has been retweeted 6,400 times.

But the real beauty of Twitter as a tool for an artist, Conor believes, is having a permanent online exhibition.

“It has meant that I have never needed to exhibit,” he adds. “My Caitlyn Jenner portrait was seen by more people in one week than visit the Louvre in two years. I am not saying the gallery is dead but it’s at the very least been shot in the knees.” @conartworks

49 THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970

Out of Office with…

FIONNULA FLANAGAN Celebrating 50 years on stage and screen, Emmy Award-winner Fionnula Flanagan trained at London’s Old Vic and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin before starting her acting career in 1965.

Her big screen debut, alongside Milo O’Shea and TP McKenna in 1967’s Ulysses, quickly followed for the now LA-based actress who has also forged a path as a celebrated director, producer and writer.

Remaining close to her Irish roots she has starred in films such as Some Mother’s Son, about the 1981 IRA prisoner hunger strikes, and London Irish director John Michael McDonagh’s The Guard.

Working alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest names, from Helen Mirren to Anthony Hopkins, the Dubliner has also become a small screen favourite with roles in popular series such as Brotherhood, Lost and Star Trek.

Ahead of this year’s Irish Post Awards, where Fionnula will be honoured for her Outstanding Contribution to the Film and Television Industry, she tells SIOBHÁN BREATNACH about what motivates her and why 2015 has been her toughest year yet Growing up in Ireland I always wanted to be a writer or a director — I thought I’d be an actress or a brain surgeon in my spare time.

But my first job as waitressing in Sherry’s Restaurant in Dublin.

I live in Beverly Hills, California and am fortunate to live in the hills themselves which are wild-ish still and bearable. I’m fortunate that I don’t live on the flatlands of Beverly Hills, which is full of dead-ugly mansions and gardens with nobody in them.

Everyone loves the climate here but I do get tired of the endlessly blue sky and cannot wait for the rainy season, which of course we don’t have any more due to global warming.

My favourite place in Ireland is Annacurragh, Co. Wicklow.

On a typical day I’ll get up at 6am and because of the time difference with Europe I’ll try to read and reply to emails, make phone calls or write for an hour. Then I’ll walk my dog, go to the gym, wash the dishes and take care of all the usual domestic stuff that seems to keep life turning over.

I like to read and go to a movie. My favourite film is Il Postino: The Postman, it’s perfect in every way. I don’t think I want to tell you what my guilty pleasures are but Edith Piaf’s Rien de Rien sends a shiver down my spine. The Star of the County Down is also a great song that more people should know about.

Curiosity is my biggest motivator. James Joyce’s Ulysses is the book that has influenced me the most — the written word is really the greatest work of art there is.

Doctors Without Borders, the organisation that delivers emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict and natural disasters, are my heroes.

The only time it’s ok to lie is when anyone asks ‘Does this make me look fat?’ Cruelty makes me angry, although I have no idea what others criticise me for since they don’t do it to my face.

The first 10 years of my life have been the best so far because it was all new and mysterious and full of wonder. The wonder in children’s eyes is something I truly believe in.

If I could change one thing in my life, I’d turn the clock back to 2.24am on September 1 this year. My worst moment came at 2.25am when I found out my husband Garrett O’Connor had died. He was the love of my life. If life has taught me anything it’s don’t procrastinate. But right now it’s just about getting through the next 12 months.

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